Time To Fly
by TucsonGirl
Summary: A new generation of faries has hit Alfea. New powers, new characters, new romance, and new betrayal. T, just in case. I tried this story once, edited, now I'm trying it again. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Alfea was huge. I stepped through the invisible wall and onto the campus. The grass that covered the quad was a bright green, almost neon. There were no clouds in the pale blue sky above, and the woods behind the school set a beautiful backdrop for the pink and purple Alfea castle. I hitched my black duffel bag higher onto my shoulder and walked slowly into the quad. There must have been hundreds of girls, milling around the space outside, enjoying the weather and start of the year excitement. A lot of what looked like upper classmen were dressed up, wearing skirts or summer dresses. I was wearing a blue and orange plaid button down, black skinny jeans, and worn black low-top Converse. A black zippered Fedora covered my spiky brown hair, tipped with red, white and blue.

I wove through the throng of girls, standing around, and made my way to a long line of younger girls, that looked like freshmen. A few of them talked and chatted, a few standing awkwardly alone. I turned up the volume on my iPod. I felt so nervous about not knowing anyone, I just wanted to get into a dorm room already! When I got to the head of the line, there was a grim looking woman standing there, staring at me from over the thin rim of her blue glasses.

"Name?" she screeched. I took my headphone out.

"Alice White."

"Place of origin?" the woman said, sounding more and more annoyed.

"Earth," I replied. The woman looked at her list for a moment, then nodded and I moved past her. I popped the earphone back in. "How many Alice Whites can there be?" I muttered.

"Alright ladies, gather round." A woman's voice shredded through my music a few moments later. I took a headphone out and saw the same grouchy woman clapping her hands in the middle of the quad. I looked around; a majority of the girls were walking away from her, but they all looked older. The freshmen girls made their way, eagerly and nervously, towards her. I joined the group of girls, and once we were all there, she started to talk again. "My name is Ms. Griselda, and I am head of discipline here at Alfea school. In a moment, you will go through the doors and meet your headmistress, then you will check into your dormitories. But before you do that, I will tell you what is expected of you here at Alfea.

You are here to learn and perfect your Winx. First off, there is no unauthorized magic allowed in the school. All use of your Winx is for academic purposes only. Our punishments here at Alfea are very strict. Break the rules once, you will be struck with a severe warning and grounding to the school property for a week. Break the rules twice and your powers will be suspended for a week. Break the rules a third time and it will result in your expulsion from Alfea.

Which brings me to our most important rule; Stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower, at all costs. We don't have a punishment for that because nothing we can do will be horrid enough as what they will do if they catch you there! And believe me, they will catch you. Now, follow me."

My head was spinning by the time she finished talking but I gathered my things with the others and followed Griselda up the steps and into the school.

"Hello ladies!" A woman was standing just beyond the doors at the foot of a long staircase. She was shorter than Griselda but her hair was gray and curly. Her dress was also much more flattering on her and her eyes twinkled when she smiled. "My name is Ms. Faragonda and I am your headmistress here at Alfea. Each of you is here for a different reason and each of you is unique. All of your powers are great and you will grow to do great things with them. Some of you will rule your realms as royalty. Others will be guardians of your planet. Others will find your own, different path in this great world.

Now, it is time you all check into you dorm rooms and meet you roommates. Classes start tomorrow morning so get a good nights rest. Have a good rest of your day girls, and let's make this a great year!"

We made our way up the stairs and started to look around. Down a golden hallway, teal blue doors dotted both sides of the hall. All of the doors had a list of names on them. I assumed these were the rooming lists. I searched for my name, and slowly, the girls in the hall disappeared into rooms. Finally, at the last door on the left side, I found my name. It was at the bottom of a list with the names of six other girls. I looked around and saw only a couple other girls left in the hallway, and assumed my roommates were already in there. I took a deep breath, turned my music off, and walked in.

The first sound to hit my ears was laughter and music. In the living room, sat five girls. Three were seated on the couch, and one in a chair, another in her lap. When I entered, they all looked up and the laughter died.

"Uh, hi there," A dark haired girl said. She got up from the other girls lap and walked over. "Do you need something?

"Just a room," I said. "My name's on the list too, I'm Alice."

"Oh," a blond girl answered, disappointedly. "I thought it was just going to be the six of us."

"Sorry to disappoint," I said, staring at her.

"No, it's cool," a red head replied, getting up from the chair also. "I'm Kat." She smiled and held out her hand. She was slightly taller than me, and her skin was milky white, sprinkled with brown freckles all over her arms and legs. Her red hair was curled into tight corkscrews, and cut super short in a stylish bob, just to the middle of her ears. She had on jean shorts and a pale blue off-the-shoulder top.

"And I'm Miranda," the dark haired girl said. She was taller than the others and her hair fell just above her shoulders, black with a purple streak in the side. Her skin was as pale as mine, but her cheeks were pink with blush. Her eyes were an icy blue and they looked like they could stare daggers if Miranda was a mean girl. But something in her eyes told me otherwise. She was wearing a faded denim skirt and black a V-neck shirt.

"I'm Hunter!" another brunette giggled. She stuck her hand out to shake mine. Her hair was shoulder length and pulled into a ponytail and her ivory skin was smooth and clear of any mark or blemish. She was almost as tall as me, maybe quarter of an inch shorter. Her eyes were chocolate brown behind her glasses, and she wore blue jeans and a purple tank top, with a black hoodie over it. Her socks were two different patterns and her smile was wide and happy.

"That's Tori over there," Miranda said. I looked at one of the two blondes on the couch. Tori smiled and gave a small wave. Her hair was shoulder length, dirty blond and hung limply around her face. Her skin was the color of a slightly toasted marshmallow, tanned only a little, to where it still looked natural and even. She had dark blue eyes and was dressed in dark wash jeans and a white Owl City shirt. Her glasses were square and thick framed.

"And you already met Cassidy," Kat chuckled, gesturing to the other blonde. Her eyes were a dull blue color, her blond hair cut just below her shoulders and she had dramatic side bangs. There was a red, glittery flower on a headband perched on the top of her head. She wore dark skinny jeans, a skinny yellow belt, a red tank top, and a denim vest over it. There were a few handmade bracelets on her wrists and there was a gold ring with a blue stone in it on her left pinky finger. She stood up and crossed her arms, her hips cocked to one side.

"Nice," I said, looking closely at Cassidy, then turning away. "So where are you guys from?"

"Wheaton, Illinois," Tori replied. "Church capitol of the U.S." The other laughed and I looked at them, as though I missed a joke.

"So where are you from?"Miranda asked.

"Tucson, Arizona," I replied.

Just then, a short, dark haired girl walked in from another room. She was the shortest one there, and her hair was loosely curled and went down to the middle of her back.

"Um, hi?" she said, looking slightly confused.

"Bridgette, this is Alice," Miranda said. "She's bunking with us."

"So that's why there was another bed in Cassidy's room!" Bridgette said.

"And here I was hoping to have a room for myself," Cassidy grumbled.

"A room with two beds?" I challenged. She glared at me and turned away.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you," Bridgette said with a smile. Her eyes were brown and she wore dark wash skinny jeans and a gray T-shirt with a flying pig on it.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Hunter squealed. "I can tell already this is gonna be a great year!"

"Right?" Bridgette replied. "It's gonna be so amazing. Just being here is kinda surreal."

"My mom went here and said her time was one of the greatest times in her life," Miranda agreed.

"Oh, Alice," Kat said suddenly. "Do you wanna go put your stuff away?"

I looked down at my duffel and nodded. "Yeah, that would be great."

"Cool," Kat says. "Like we said, the only open bed is in Cassidy's room. Come on." I picked up my duffel and Kat lead me down one of the three hallways leading out of the living room. The room was pretty big, one bathroom, two walk-in closets, and two beds with a night stand next to each.

"Wow, this is nice!" I exclaimed. I noticed the bed closest to the balcony was already taken, do I took the one by the bathroom. I tossed my duffel down and lay on my back, looking at the ceiling. "This is so rad!"

"Yeah," Kat laughed. "I can't wait until classes tomorrow!"


	2. Chapter 2

That night, we all stayed up late with the anticipation of classes the next morning. I did listening mostly, since I didn't know much about what and who they were talking about. I also learned some more about their powers. Hunter's power is serenity. She can calm people and things, which I can see coming in handy in a crisis. Kat's is electricity, Miranda's is speed, Tori is night, Bridgette controlled weather, and Cassidy's is poison. Add my four elements in there and you had quite the odd mix of girls. But somehow they all managed to get along well enough. Tori pretty much kept to herself, allowing the others to fill the conversation. She added her bits in here and there, but overall I spoke more than she did. Cassidy spoke only to the other girls, while everyone else's conversation flowed evenly throughout the rest of the group. We stayed up until midnight watching movies, eating junk food and talking. Then when Hunter fell asleep on the couch, we all knew it was time for bed. All but Tori filed into our respective rooms. Tori, instead of going to bed, chose to go to the balcony of her and Hunter's room. There she stayed all night, seeming perfectly content to gaze at the stars rather than sleep.

My alarm buzzed way to early the next morning, at 7. I sprang up, startled. Then I slammed my fist onto the snooze button and fell back into my bed. But the alarm had done it's job; I couldn't fall back to sleep once I was up. I kicked my covers off and got out of bed, stretching. I lumbered over to the bathroom, only to find the door shut and locked. I saw light from under the door and heard the sound of running water. I glanced over my shoulder at Cassidy's bed and noticed it was empty.

"Great," I sighed, and plopped back down on my bed. I had an hour to get ready, and find my classes, and I had no idea where I was going. Cassidy had ten minutes, or the door was coming off.

Thirty minutes. The shower had turned off ten minutes ago, but the door stayed locked. What was she doing in there!

"This is ridiculous," I huffed and marched over to the door. "Cassidy?" I called.

"What!" Came an irritable response.

"Class starts in a half hour and I still need to shower. Can you hurry it up a little?"

I heard the lock click and she popped her head out. Her hair was in rollers, there was a mascara brush in her hand, and she was fully dressed in gray skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a yellow and white striped cardigan.

"Do you mine?" she ordered. "If you wanted in the bathroom so bad, you should have gotten up earlier. Go use one of the other bathrooms!" Then she slammed the door in my face. I glared at the door and opened my mouth to yell back at her, but before I had the chance Miranda popped her head in.

"What's going on?" she asked.

I jammed my thumb at the door. "She won't let me in."

Miranda waved me over. "Grab your clothes, you can get ready in our bathroom." I rolled my eyes, then grabbed the gray V-neck and camo cargo pants I laid out the night before. I followed Miranda down her and Hunter's hallway. Hunter was sitting on her bed, tying the polka dot laces on newspaper print Converse high-tops.

"Good morning!" she squealed happily. She looked at my blue plaid sweat pants and black tank top. "Are you going to class like that?" she asked uncertainly.

"No," Miranda laughed, leading me to the bathroom. "Cassidy's in their bathroom, so she's using ours."

"Oh, ok!" Hunter exclaimed. It seemed to me that she was always happy.

"Thanks, Miranda," I said to her.

She smiled. "We're gonna leave in about twenty minutes, can you be ready?"

I grimaced. Not a lot of wiggle room. "Yeah, I can be ready."

Eight minutes later, I was out of the shower. I quickly pulled my clothes on and used the hair dryer that was already in the bathroom. When I was decent, I ran out of the bathroom and sprinted back to my room. I rummaged through my bag and pulled out my toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, socks, and hair wax. Then I looked at the bathroom and saw that the door was open now, and Cassidy wasn't in there. I hurried in there and turned on the water, brushing my teeth while trying to put deodorant on and pull my socks on at the same time. When I was done, I rubbed the wax on my hands and spiked my hair out. Then I went back over to my bed and pulled my Timberlands on.

"Alice," Miranda called. "You ready to go?" She stood in my doorway with Kat and Bridgette as I tied my shoes. I turned to look at the clock: 7:48. I growled and pulled out a tube of clear gloss. Not what I was looking for, but it would have to do.

"Yeah, hang on. Sorry," I said quickly.

"No problem dude," Bridgette said.

"Um, yes problem!" Called Cassidy's voice. "We need to go, now! We don't even know where our first class is!"

"Chill Cass," Hunter said. "We'll be fine." I shoved the lip gloss tube in my pocket and ran to meet the others at the door. Cassidy rolled her eyes and sauntered out the door. Miranda and Kat chuckled and followed her out, Hunter, Tori, Bridgette and I after them.

We made our way down the dorm hall with the rest of the freshmen and went to our first period class, Transformation, with Mr. Wizgiz. We got there just as the clock struck 8. A small, red-headed leprechaun was seated on the teacher's desk at the head of the classroom. I looked around the room for empty seats. There were two next to each other in the middle of the room that Kat and Miranda made a beeline for. Hunter took one of the many open seats at the front of the room and Bridgette sat down behind her. Cassidy sat next to Bridgette, Tori behind her, and before I knew what had happened, the last open seat was at the front in between two unknown girls. I sighed and plopped down next to them.

The girl on my left didn't seem to acknowledge my presence. Her hair was so blonde, it looked yellow and she was practically sitting on it was so long and straight. Large diamond and white gold hoop earrings hung from her ears and small diamond studs poked through the hole above that. Her face was flawlessly beautiful, tanned perfectly with candy pink lips and smokey eyes. Her eyes were a bright greenish gold and her face was round and girlish. She was wearing a pink and white stripped tank top, light wash denim mini skirt, and neon pink heels that looked deadly. Her body was long, tanned, and toned. She tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the desk, bored, and crossed her long, sleek legs.

The girl on my right was less perfect, but noticed me equally as much. She looked like the virtual opposite in comparison to the other girl. Her hair reached her chest and was dry and over processed. It was a muddy blonde color and looked like all the life had been bleached and heated right out of it. Her face was long and her nose was pointed. She had a taper gauge in both her ears, looking like maybe a 10 or an 8. A captive hoop was in a cartilage piercing on the top of her ear. Dark eye make-up was done on her as well, but it looked sloppier and gooey, and her skin was a pasty color. There was no gloss on her cracked lips and her face was sour, her dark brown eyes set in a glare. She had on dark wash skinny jeans, a black fitted shirt that said Hollywood Undead on it in spray painted stencil letters, and black high top Converse. Even though she was shorter, she looked older than the other girl.

"Good morning girls!" chirped the leprechaun. "I am Professor Wizgiz. Welcome to Transformation!"


	3. Chapter 3

The bell rang after class an hour later and the blond girl on my left was the first to click out of the room, leaving a cloud of perfume in her wake. I shook my head at her and got up, pulling my schedule out of my pocket. Alright, finished with Transformation with Wizgiz, next was Etiquette with Professor DuFour.

"Dude, I am so sorry!" Kat chuckled as we walked to class.

"For what?" I asked curiously.

"For leaving you with Amy and Maddie!" Miranda said. "The two girls you were sitting by."

"Oh," I smiled. "No problem, they seemed like a delight."

"Um, no way in all the realms," Bridgette stated. "Maddie's the princess of Merona, the wealthiest of all planets. And Amy's supposed to be a sophomore but she got held back. She's bitter about being back in a freshmen class."

I shook my head. "Who cares. Neither of them seem to care much about me, so what does it matter?"

"So what's next?" Hunter asked, smiling.

"Etiquette," Tori answered with a grimace, looking at her schedule.

"I don't know about you guys," Cassidy said, smiling, waving her hands. "But I am totally excited about this class!"

"Why?" Tori asked.

"Because," she said. "It's nessicary for us to be polite as well as powerful. One day, we'll rule over our planets and we have to do it with grace and etiquette."

"Right," Tori muttered. I smiled and we made our way to Professor Du Four's room.

After classes that day, we slumped back to our dorm. Five classes, an hour each, no break. I was totally tired but I learned a lot about my powers.

"Dude, Paladium's class is brutal!" Kat complained and flopped down on the couch.

"No kidding," Hunter said back. "I have a feeling that's gonna be the toughest class of the year."

"Well," Tori chimed in. "I don't know, etiquette is gonna be really hard for me."

"Same," I agreed, nodding.

"Why do you guys complain so much?" Cassidy snapped at us. "It's just one hour long class, it's not that hard."

"Well, just because you think that, doesn't mean the rest of us do," I replied, crossing my arms.

"You just got here," Cassidy growled. "You're not "one of us" yet." Then she turned and stalked into our room, slamming the door behind her. I heard the lock click.

"Drama queen much?" Bridgette asked.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Just be grateful she doesn't sleep in your room."

"Cassidy's not that bad once you get to know her," Hunter defended.

"Well if it's up to her, I won't get the chance to get to know her," I retorted. And who cares anyway? I thought she was a bitch, I didn't want to get to know her. The other girls I didn't mind, but I could do without Cassidy.

"Anyway," Miranda said changing the subject. "When do you guys want to go dress shopping?"

"For what?" I asked.

"The back to school ball," Hunter replied with a smile. "It's at the end of the first week of school."

"I saw we go tomorrow after classes," Bridgette said.

"Yeah," Kat agreed. "We can take the bus into Magix and eat dinner in the city."

"Oh, I'm so excited to see the city!" Hunter exclaimed, clapping her hands. "It's supposed to be amazing!"

"I've been there," Tori said. "With my mom once. It's alright. It's kinda like Chicago, only way more high-tech."

"I'm still excited," Kat smiled. "It'll be fun to see how other magical people interact on a daily basis."

"So there's no magic people in Wheaton either?" I asked.

"Well, sorta," Bridgette replied. "But not nearly as many as other parts of the magic dimension."

"Yeah, earth has the lowest population of magical creatures," Tori said.

"Why's that?" I asked.

Hunter shrugged. "It's just that fairies only started to show up on earth about five years ago. The number of other magical creatures is slowly climbing, but still not as much as the other realms."

"Anyway, I think tomorrow's great for shopping," Kat said. Tori groaned. Kat looked at her. "You don't want to go?"

"I don't want to go to the dance at all!" Tori laughed. "It's so not my thing."

"Aw, but you have to go!" Miranda said. "It'll be so much fun!"

"Besides," Hunter giggled. "The boys from Red Fountain will be there!"

"Boys from where?" I asked.

"Red Fountain," Bridgette answered. "The school for heroes and specialists. It's just through the forest."

"Nice," I grinned. "But why do they come?"

Miranda shrugged. "To welcome us, to build relationships between the schools. That kind of thing. My sister graduated Alfea last year, she says the ball's great every year.

"Will someone please do a red dress?" Kat asked. "I can't because of my hair, but I really want someone to wear a red dress."

"I will!" Miranda called, raising her hand.

"I kinda want to do pink," Hunter said.

"Teal," Kat nodded.

"I want green, I think," I said. "What about you Tori?"

"I'm only going because I'm being forced," Tori grumbled. "I guess black."

"I have no idea what I want," Bridgette said, smiling.

"Well, you can decide tomorrow when we go shopping," Hunter said. "Now we should probably get started on our homework."

"Bogus!" I huffed and got up to go to my room as the others went to theirs to start on their own homework. I jiggled the handle to my bedroom door and waited for Cassidy to open it. I heard the lock unclick, but the door stayed shut. I rolled my eyes and walked in. And there she sat on her bed with homework sprawled out around her. She didn't acknowledge me as I walked in so I did the same to her. I sat down on my bed and grabbed my iPod off my bedside table, ignoring Cassidy's presence.


	4. Chapter 4

After class the next day, we didn't go back to our room. We headed straight out to the bus stop just outside the school so we could catch the very next ride into Magix. The bus was crowded with Alfea girls; it seemed we weren't the only ones that had the idea to shop today. On the way into the city, we passed a huge red tower, suspended in midair with water cascading from the sides.

"That's Red Fountain," Kat said, leaning into my ear.

"High tech," I commented. A moment later, we passed another building, a menacing purple tower. "What's that?" I asked, pointing out the window.

"Cloud Tower," Kat answered. "Scary, right? That's where the witches go. Mess with them and end up a puddle."

"Whatever," I scoffed. "They can't be any worse than a bitchy fairy."

"No, you don't understand," Bridgette challenged. "They're bad, trust me. They have dark powers and use deceitful kinds of magic, the kinds that fairies don't do well against."

I shrugged. "I'm not scared." Kat and Bridgette smiled, but Cassidy rolled her eyes and turned away from us and looked out the window.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at Magix station. The seven of us filed off the bus and stood at the stop, looking around.

"Where to first?" Miranda asked.

Kat shrugged. "This way," she answered, pointing down a street to the right. We wandered for a while until we found a department store. A lot of the dresses were common or too expensive, so we left after only about ten minutes. Twisting and turning through the streets, stopping in stores, looking, trying on, then leaving. Nothing jumped out at any of us, until we found a large dress store.

We walked in and saw a counter in the middle of the room. "Hi there," the lady at the counter said. She was tall with straight brown hair, and her smile was wide and friendly. "What can I help you ladies with?"

"We're looking for dresses for a ball at school," Hunter answered.

"Let me guess," the lady asked, getting up and moving around the counter. "You girls go to Alfea?"

"Yep," Bridgette answered.

"Then let me show you to our dress simulator," she walked over to the left side of the store. There were ten circles on the floor, emanating a light blue glow. There was also a full sized mirror floating in front of each circle and a small key pad. "When you step on these circles, the censors will simulate a dress onto your body. The simulator will go through the complete stock of dresses we have. If you like one, press the green button on the key pad. If you want a new one, press the red. Each circle has a number and is wired to the computer at my desk. When your done looking, I can go through your history and you can choose a dress you like. Easy enough, right?" We smiled and nodded. "Great. Have fun and good luck." She turned to walk away.

Each of us chose a circle and immediately the fun started.

Almost two hours later, we had all exhausted the supply of dresses and each found our favorites. We went to the orange haired lady at the counter, paid for our dresses and started to look for somewhere to eat.

Hunter's dress was a long, pink V-neck halter with a slit up the side to about her knee. Miranda held true to her promise to Kat and got a bright red strapless mermaid style gown with a sequenced top. Kat's dress was a teal halter top ball gown with glitter dotting the bottom. Mine was a short strapless green dress with black zippers along the hem and a corset back. Cassidy ended up with dark purple strapless gown with a streak of silver glitter trailing from the side of the bust, all the way down to the bottom of the gown. Bridgette got a short royal blue halter top dress with ruffles on the bottom. And Tori got a simple white flowy gown that faded from white to light blue.

We stopped at a pizza place by the bus station and got a large cheese pizza to share. When we were done, we chatted about the day and the upcoming ball as we waited for the bus. When we finally arrived home, it was almost six in the afternoon.

"Oh, crap!" Hunter said as we walked into our dorm and she noticed the clock. "We have homework!" She hurried into her room and threw her bags on the floor as she grabbed her homework.

"Spaz!" I called after Hunter, the other girls laughing.

"Just because she cares about her grades doesn't make her a spaz," Cassidy said.

I looked at her and shook my head. "You're just looking for a fight, aren't you?"

"Well, when you insult my friends, I'm allowed to," Cassidy defended, glaring at me.

"She's my friend too," I argued. "You don't own her."

"Seriously Cass, chill!" Kat exclaimed.

"Yeah, ever since Alice got here, you've been really uptight," Bridgette stated.

"That's really nice guys," Cassidy hissed at the girls. "Take her side. Forget the fact that we've been friends since second grade, just turn on me."

"Are you demented?" I asked. "Are you that possessive and selfish that when someone new steps into your friend circle, you have to push them away?"

"We're not turning on you Cass," Bridgette insisted.

"What's with all the yelling?" Hunter said, coming back into the room.

"Why don't you just move dorms, Alice?" Cassidy asked, ignoring Hunter.

"I would," I replied. "But that would mean you get to think you've won. No, I'll stay right where I am and if you don't like it, you can move dorms."

"How dare you!" she screeched, balling up her fists.

"Stop it, both of you!" Miranda yelled. Cassidy and I tore our eyes away from each other to look at Miranda. "This is so stupid! Cassidy, stop looking for a fight, Alice didn't mean anything by what she said."

"If you guys don't want me here, maybe I should move to another dorm," Cassidy threatened. "Since you're such best friends with Alice." No one said anything. Then, after a seconds, I felt calmer. It was like someone physically lifted the tension and anger in the room. I looked back at Cassidy and saw her scowl soften. Then all of a sudden it came back.

"Hunter, stop it with your stupid calming thing!" she hollered. Hunter's face fell.

"I-I," she stammered. "I was only trying to help."

"Go help someone who wants it!" Cassidy demanded. And with that, she stormed out of the dorm.


	5. Chapter 5

We all went to sleep that night without another word from Cassidy. When I fell asleep, her things were still in our room, but when I woke up they were gone. I hadn't heard her come in during the night, so maybe she went to Ms. Faragonda and had them transported to another room. Either way, I had the bathroom all to myself that morning, and time to meditate in peace.

I took my time in the hot shower and getting ready for school. Today, I dressed in a gray off-the-shoulder crop top with the word Paramore printed across the front in bright yellow and dark wash skinny jeans with a pair of yellow Toms. When I was ready for school, I checked the clock. 7:47. I had thirteen minutes to meditate and get to class before I would be late. That seemed like enough time. I went out onto the balcony and sat cross-legged on the floor. I closed my eyes and sat with my palms out and up on my knees. I took slow, even breaths through my nose and tried to push all negative and stressful thoughts from my head, taking in only the thoughts of nature and how they reflected onto my power.

That morning, Transformation with Wizgiz was held outside. Wizgiz stood at the head of the steps outside an we stood in a half circle around him.

"Alrighty girls," he squeaked. "Today is a very important day. We will be working on your Winx transformations today!" A unanimous gasp went up and girls turned to one another and whispered their worries frantically. My own eyes widened and I looked at Kat and Miranda.

"He can't be serious, right?" I asked.

"I really hope not!" Miranda said, wringing her hands in worry.

"Has anyone ever done this before?" Kat asked, looking around. I shook my head in disbelief and rubbed my eyes.

"Now, now ladies," Wizgiz called. "Listen up. As I was saying, Transformation is crucial in being a fairy. When you are in you Winx form, your powers are at their strongest. And at your age, your potential to transform successfully is at it's highest. So over the next few days, you all will be transforming into your Winx form." Another gasp went up. I stayed quiet, my mouth dry with worry. "Now now girls, it's not that hard," WIzgiz assured us. "Just focus your strength, think about your power, and it will happen naturally. And if it doesn't." He shrugged. "Then you might be a witch." The class looked worriedly around at one another, wide-eyed and scared.

"But I'm sure you all will be just fine," Wizgiz said airily. "Now, do I have any volunteers to go first?" All the girls in the class looked at one another worriedly or at their feet, in order to avoid Wizgiz's searching eyes.

"Aw, come on girls!" he chirped. "It's not all that hard, I promise!" Still no one volunteered. He sighed. "Alright then, guess we'll have to do this the hard way." Just then, a clipboard popped into his grasp. On the clipboard was a sheet of paper with a list on it. "I'll randomly select a name. Whoever I chose will come up here and have their chance to transform. Got it? Good. Here we go!" He closed his eyes and randomly chose a name.

"Maddie Eble," he announced, opening his eyes. A sigh of relief went up all around the crown. I breathed again and opened my own eyes to watch as the pretty blonde girl that sat next to me walked up the steps in black yoga pants and a white V-neck.

"Alrighty Ms. Eble," Wizgiz said, hopping down. "When ever your ready."

Maddie didn't look to worried. Maybe she had done this before. Or maybe she just didn't care if she embarrassed herself. She stood with her feet shoulder width apart and closed her eyes. It only took a few seconds before she nodded, ready. First, Maddie was standing there, then a flash of white light appeared, and she had transformed. The whole thing took probably a minute.

Maddi stood there, looking even more beautiful than usual, as a fairy. Her hair shone and cascaded down her back in a mess of curls. Her eyelashes were long and thick and cats eye make-up painter her eyes. Her lips were plumper, flushed with a pale pink. The same diamond and white gold earrings hung from her ears, only they seemed to shine and glimmer more now. Gone were her street clothes and in their place was a bright, sparkling, hot pink outfit. A mini skirt and bandeau top with criss-crossing strips of fabric connecting to the skirt. A strappy pair of matching heels covered her feet and a white gold tennis bracelet on her left wrist. She looked fierce and almost to perfect to touch.

"Nicely done!" Wizgiz hollered, clapping his hands. The rest of us joined in and there were a few whistles and shouts in the crowd as well. Maddie smiled a little and walked down the steps. "See now girls?" Wizgiz assured us. "It's not so hard. Now who's next?"

"I'll go!" I turned and saw a girl that Maddie had been talking to raising her hand. Her friends giggled as she made her way up to stand by Maddie. They smiled and high fived each other and the girl looked at Wizgiz.

"Why, thank you very much Miss Plamer," Wizgi said happily.

"Bitch," came a faint whisper. I turned and saw Tori glaring at the girl standing in front of us. She noticed me looking at her. "I hate Jenny Palmer." I smiled and turned back around to watch Jenny transform.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened. But instead of getting stressed out, she giggled and opened one eye, peaking at her friends who were giggling too. I rolled my eyes. Girls who thought everything was a joke, how refreshing.

"I knew she was a witch!" Tori laughed quietly from behind me. I snorted into my hand and Kat gave me a small shove, laughing too. Pretty soon, all six of us were snorting and chuckling into our hands. But Jenny thought we were laughing at her. She glared down at us, and I glared back so she said nothing. She closed her eyes again, but still couldn't transform, which caused Tori to laugh again, slightly louder this time. Jenny's eyes snapped open and she glared down at Tori.

"Do you have a problem, freak?" she hissed. Tori was silent, the smile gone from her face.

"I'm sorry," I challenged. "But I know you weren't talking to my friend."

"And I know that you weren't laughing at me," Jenny retorted.

"No," I growled. "We weren't."

"Alright girls," Wizgiz chirped. "That's enough." He turned to Jenny. "That's enough Miss Palmer, you may step down." Jenny pulled a pouty face and stomped down. "And since you seem to have so much to say Miss White," he said to me. "You can come up here and go next." Jenny and her friends cackled, but I refused to look at them. I felt Kat give my arm a little squeeze and I turned and winked at her as I made my way up to stand by Wizgiz.

"Ready whenever you are, Alice," Wizgi said happily. Even though he totally just called me out, I still liked him. He was a little naive about the workings of teenage girls though.

I took a deep breath closed my eyes, and tried to focus but I could feel the sweat on my palms and the stares of Jenny and her friends and I heard them giggling to themselves. I breathed again, to calm myself down, then a third time, this time to take in the nature around me. I tried to channel my anger and embarrassment into a transformation. After a few seconds, I felt my powers heighten

I pictured myself transforming, I pictured my power and my strength. Then I felt it. There was something boiling inside me, something wanting to get out. I suppressed it until it was ready to burst, then let it loose. It exploded inside me. My body melted away and I felt something new and strong take it's place. I felt my feet leave the ground, hover for a few glorious moments, then touch back down. My hair swirled around my face and my back felt tight. Then I felt a breeze on the nape of my neck where my wings had sprouted.

When I opened my eyes, the girl that had been standing in my place at the beginning of the transformation was gone. She had been replaced with a strong, confident, unstoppable force. A fairy.

"Very good Alice!" Wizgiz congratulated. "That was very nicely done." I smiled at his praise, and at the applause form my fellow classmates, excluding Jenny, Maddie, and their friends. I looked down at myself and gasped. I conjured a sheet of clear ice in front of me and looked at myself.

The girl in the reflection was not me. At least, she looked nothing like me. Her hair was shinier and was held up in pointy, swirly spikes, tipped in white. Her lips were plumper, and painted blood red. Her green eyes shone like jade, her skin looked smooth and pure as the face of the moon. She was taller and curvier. Her street clothes had melted away, and been replaced by a beautiful, glittery white outfit. Tall wedge heel boots that reached her mid-thigh. Short white shorts, and a white racer back mid-drift tank top, with two silver bangles on each arm and a silver ring on each thumb. A black leather choker encircled her throat and a white leather belt hung loosely on her hips. The buckle was a large circle, cut into four pieces, each piece having a different symbol on it; a flame, a wave, a blade of grass, and a swirling wind. Lastly, a crystal and silver tiara was cocked to one side on the top of her spikes.

I smiled at the reflection, not wanting it to fade, but my transformation only lasted a moment. When it was gone, I let the ice evaporate into the air and walked back down the steps. My new friends congratulated me and we laughed, and for the rest of the day, all I could see was the reflection of the girl in the ice.


	6. Chapter 6

"Class today was actually fairly cool," Bridgette said after class that day as the six of us walked back to our dorm.

"Yeah," Kat agreed. "Especially transformation class!" She gave me a nudge and I grinned at her.

"That was so cool, Alice," Miranda said. "You're Winx form is so beautiful."

"Dude, we're all gonna look like that!" Hunter gushed, clasping her hands. She got a dreamy look on her face. "I can't wait for class tomorrow!"

"You know what I can't wait for?" Tori asked. "The couch. I'm so tired!"

"That's cause you don't sleep, Tor," Hunter said bluntly.

"Um hello?" Tori replied. "Insomnia?" She rolled her eyes. Tori was definitely the oddest out of the group, but I liked her very much.

The next day, the rest of the class got to transform, even Jenny. Her Winx form was a neon pink off-the-shoulder crop top, tight booty shorts, and ankle boots, the whole outfit topped off with a lot of pink and silver jewelry. She looked pretty, but she kinda made my eyes hurt.

Miranda's form turned her from a pretty brunette into the most stunning girl in the room. In a way, even prettier than Maddie. Her face was pale, her hair so dark, she looked like the most beautiful alien. Her outfit was an purple dress with long sleeves and a neckline that hung off both her shoulder and hugged her arms. The dress hit mid-thigh and she had on black leather boots that reached her knee, and had a three inch heel, making her even taller. Silver chandelier earrings hung from her ears, and they had small purple jewels tucked into the silver links. A matching necklace hung from her neck and a silver and purple jeweled crown was on her head. Her wings were a faint purple with silver veins snaking throughout. Overall, she looked more like a queen than a fairy.

Kat's already loud hair looked like someone had lit a match on her head. She had on blue high waisted shorts, a matching blue off-the-shoulder crop top, and glittery blue go-go boots. She also had on a tiara, but hers was a sparkling copper color. It matched the copper strand earrings that hung from her ears. A copper chain connected her cartilage to her lobe earring. Her wings were the same color as her hair, fading into the copper of her tiara. She looked like a mass of blue and red flames.

Bridgette's outfit was a tube top and shorts romper. It was a light red and had a darker red criss-cross starting at the bust and ending at her hips. She had on gold anchor earrings and a matching necklace. Her boots were the same red color, had no heel and went to her mid-calf. Bridgette's already long hair got even longer and curlier, making it look like a wild, shining mane. Her magenta lips popped against her ivory skin. Her wings were lined with gold and were a firecracker of reds in the middle.

Hunter had on a pale green sparkling tube top dress with a sweetheart hem on the top. Her shoes were high heeled ankle boots and a small silver chain encircled her left ankle and right wrist. She was wearing shiny silver hoops in her ears. Her hair grew very long and shiny and was held in a loose bun, letting the rest of it hang down her back. Her bangs hung over one eye. A silver tiara with green gems rested on the top of her head. Her lips were glossed in a very pale pink shine. And Hunter's wings looked like wings from a little girl's angel costume at Halloween. They were a pale green color and gauzy, fragile looking.

Tori's face, normally clear of make up, now had black eyeliner and mascara, making her eyes pop dramatically. Her bob that was normally conservatively cut was now drastically angled. It was short and stacked in the back and angled down to her shoulders. Her top clutched her neck with a silver metal band and the sleeves flowed down to her wrists, also encircled in a silver band. Her sleeves billowed out and looked like wings. The top was a navy blue and came to a midrift at her stomach. Her shorts were the same color and a silver crescent moon embellishment rested on her hip. She wore a pair of flats that were the same color and had the same moon, only smaller. A silver moon on a chain hung low from her ear, a star on the other ear, hanging a little higher. Her wings were the same dark blue color and were shaped like bird's wings.

Cassidy wasn't in class that day, or if she was I didn't see her. That was fine by me, I wasn't ready to deal with her yet. All of Maddie and Jenny's friends transformed too, all of their Winx forms being some shade of pink and they were all very scantily dressed.

Amy's outfit was black and red. She wore a super short black tutu, red and black stripped tights under it, with black ankle boots with a six inch heel. Her top was a red bandeau top and she wore red gloves that reached her elbows. Her hair grew down to her knees and was tied back with red string in two high pig tails and her wings were black with red sparkles. They looked like sharp bird's wings, ending in points rather than curves.

When she was called up to transform, she rolled her eyes and stood next to Wizgiz, blinked once, and it was done. She didn't even wait for Wizgiz to dismiss her before she stalked off. By the end of the day, we were all exhausted and all anyone could talk about was the ball the very next night.

"Has anyone seen my curling iron?"

"Can I borrow your straightener?"

"Where are my shoes!"

"Guys, I can't find my mascara!"

"Are you finished with my eyeliner yet?"

Our dorm was complete and total chaos the next night. There was different music playing in every room and all six of us were yelling at one another, hollering over the music and each other. Immediately after class that day, we all went into Magix for dinner. The ball started at seven and we got home at five. You would think two hours was long enough for six teenage girls to get ready, but you would be wrong. Everyone showered, so fighting over bathrooms took long enough. Then hair and make up was done, which easily took an hour between the six of us.

Kat and Miranda took charge of hair and make up for everyone. Kat just made her curls tighter and put some product in her hair to make it shine. Miranda straightened her's and styled her bangs so they hung over one eye. The rest of her hair hung simply framing her face. Hunter curled hers into loose waves and pulled it into a low side ponytail so the hair cascaded down one shoulder. Tori used hairspray and mousse to volumize her bob. Bridgette used mousse to scrunch her hair, so her natural curls looked bouncier. I just did my usual spikes, but used a little WInx to change the colors from red, white and blue to forest green and black. Everyone but me had some trace of make up on their face by the time Kat was finished with them. I wore only red lip stain and gloss; I hated the feeling of make up on my face.

While everyone else was getting make up done, I went outside and meditated. I wanted to be completely calm and in total control tonight. After ten minutes or so, I heard voices from down in the quad. I opened one eye and saw a few hundred boys in blue uniforms walking through the quad. I smiled and went back into the living room.

"Hey!" I screamed over the commotion. "The guys are here, get your asses in gear!" I went into my room to get dressed, smiling at the giggles and chatter that followed my announcement. The girls quickly made their way over to the balcony and peered at the boys outside.

"They are so cute!" Hunter squealed.

"How can you tell?" Tori asked. "They're like, two stories away."

"A man in uniform is always attractive," Bridgette replied, leaning down more.

"Let's hurry up and get down there then!" Miranda yelled and sprinted back into her room, barefoot, fighting to not trip in her dress. I rolled my eyes and slipped my own black heels on. Moments later, we were all at the door, ready to go.


	7. Chapter 7

The ballroom was packed when we got downstairs, with both Alfea students as well as the Red Fountain boys. Everyone was dressed up and looked amazing. The upper classmen talked and danced with boys they knew, while the freshmen stood in awkward groups, alone. My friends and I made our was to far corner of the dance floor and assessed the population.

Already Hunter was scoping for guys, but who could blame her. Almost all of these guys were totally hot!

"Um, hi," came a voice from behind us. We turned to see a boy, about our age, standing behind Miranda. "I'm Josh. Do you want to dance?"

"Sure," Miranda answered and took Josh's hand. He lead her out onto the dance floor and we watched them start to dance and talk.

"One down," I commented. "Five to go."

"Holy crap, is that Caleb?" Hunter exclaimed. We all turned in the direction Hunter was looking, but I had no idea who we were looking at.

"Oh my gosh, it is," Kat concluded. "He's talking to Amy!"

"Who's Caleb?" I inquired, looking for Amy.

"He's a guy we went to school with," Tori answered, shaking her head. "Total pot head." Finally, I spotted Amy. She was wearing a short tube top dress, the bust was red and the fabric was spiked and jagged. The rest of the dress was a glittering black, also with sharpened points along the hem. She wore black platform leather boots, up to her knees, with buckles all along the front. And on the top of her pin straight hair sat a silver and red jeweled tiara. She looked decent, but what held my attention was the boys she was talking to.

He was tall, taller than Miranda by at least four inches. His hair was short and jet black, off setting his super pale skin. His nose was big and his ears were tiny and there was a 10 gauge in his left ear. He was super skinny and muscular, as his Red Fountain uniform clearly showed off. He was goofy looking and not very attractive at all, but apparently Amy was into him. And so was I.

I tilted my head a little and wished I could hear what they were saying. Even more, I wished he was talking to me rather than Amy.

"Oh, they are totally cute!" Bridgette exclaimed. She was looking in in the direction where two boys were standing. One was nerdy looking with blonde hair and thick rimmed glasses and he was the taller of the two. The other was gangly with dark brown shaggy hair hanging into his eyes.

"Yeah, they are," Kat agreed.

"Let's go talk to them, Kat," Bridgette urged.

"Um," Kat hesitated. "I don't know, they're not that cute."

"Too bad," Bridgette finalized and grabbed Kat's wrist and dragged her off. We watched as they walked up and started talking to the boys. They seemed friendly enough and the four of them hit it off. Which left Tori, Hunter and I alone. We just stood, looking at one another and around at the other people in the room.

"Well, it's not awkward till you make it awkward," I muttered, still staring at Caleb. Just then, a tall lankiee guy walks up and stands next to Tori.

"So, this is fun," he said awkwardly, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I'm Adam." He was pretty tall, like six foot, four maybe. His hair was brown and perfectly coifed and he wore glasses.

"Tori," she replied, standing just as awkwardly next to him. They seemed perfectly content to stand together and people watch. I looked at Hunter and we watched longingly at the other girls dancing and having fun.

But then, a guy came up to us, his dark eyes fixed on me. He was tall and totally ripped with a shaved, blond head.

"Hey," he said in a deep, alluring voice. "I'm Andy. Let's dance." It wasn't a request, it was almost an order. But it some how drew me in. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Hunter was alright, but a tall dark haired boy sauntered up and started laying on the compliments pretty thick, judging on the way she was smiling and blushing furiously. I smiled and shook my head, turning back to my own hero.

"So you got a phone?" Andy asked breezily, sliding his arm around my shoulders. About three hours later, the dance was over and he was walking me back to my dorm room. I hadn't seen the other girls since they left to dance with their respective partners.

"Yeah," I cooed, leaning into him.

"You should give me your number," he said. Again, not a request. But I smiled and took his phone from his outstretched hand. I punched my name and number into his phone then handed it back. We stopped outside my dorm and he leaned on the wall, dominating my vision on anything else.

"I'll text you tonight," he said and leaned in to kiss my cheek. He winked and turned to leave. I smiled after him and once he was out of sight, I felt around behind me for the doorknob. I screwed it open and slid into my room. When I turned around, five other faces reflected when I assumed was a replica of my own expression.

"Hi," I said dreamily.

"Looks like you had a good time too?" Miranda giggled.

"Andy is amazing!" I gushed and flopped down on the couch. I pulled my shoes off and flung them across the room. "He's so cute, and charming in a weird way." I sighed and closed my eyes. "What about you guys?" I asked when I opened them again. "Anything fun?"

"Oh my gosh I met the most amazing guy!" Hunter gushed, flopping her head back onto the couch. I plopped down on the floor and stared at her expectedly. "His name's Max, he's a sophomore, and he's the sweetest guy I've ever met!" She clasped her hands and closed her eyes blissfully. "He gave me his number, I'm gonna call him tomorrow. We danced all night and he kissed me before he left!"

"Aww, that's so cute!" Miranda gasped.

"What about you?" Kat asked, nudging Miranda in the ribs.

Miranda blushed. "What about me?" she asked bashfully.

"The boy you were with!" Brigette squealed. "That guy Josh!"

Miranda blushed deeper. "He was a cutie. We pretty much danced all night, and talked a lot. He's got a dog names Bear and an older sister named Kelsey, she's a senior here. His favorite band is Avenge Sevenfold." she smiled. "He's pretty great."

"Wow, details much?" I joked. "What, did you interrogate him?"

"No!" Miranda chuckled. "We just talked, a lot. We have a lot in common." She paused. "I like him a lot."

"Aww!" we all chorused happily, and Miranda giggled and hastily tried to change the subject.

"Anyway! What about what you Kat?"

"Oh my gosh!" Bridgette interjected before Kat could respond. "We met the best guys, Michael and Nolan. And oh my gosh, they are both so cute! I liked them both so much. Michael is kinda shy and quiet but he's really into music. But Noah's a total hipster and he's really funny and easy to talk to." Bridgette was glowing by the time she stopped. "What did you think of them, Kat?"

Kat shrugged. "I liked them. I'm happy we got their numbers, it'll be fun to hang out with them."

"What about you Tor?" Hunter asked Tori.

A silly smile crept onto her face and she shrugged. "Met a guy. His name's Adam." She smiled wider. "He's perfect!"

"And what makes him perfect?" Miranda cooed.

"I don't even know," Tori said shaking her head. "He's awkward like me, and he's funny." She shrugged. "I don't know. I just really like him." She held up her phone triumphantly. "And I got his number!" she sang. We laughed at how the simplest thing made her smile like that.

"What about you Alice?" Hunter asked, smiling.

I smiled. "His name's Andy. And let me just say first off, he is so not the type of guy I normally go for!" I thought about how the rest of the night panned out for me and smiled wider. "He walks up all confident and is all 'Hey, I'm attractive, come dance with me.' So of course I dance with him. And let me tell you, he is one hell of a dancer!" I gave them a knowing look and was countered by fun and curious glances. "But anyway, we pretty much danced the whole time, stopped to get a drink a few times, and when the dance was over he walked me back here." I kicked my bare feet at nothing, childlike. "He kissed my cheek, I gave him my number, and he left. A glorious night for all, if I do say so myself."

"It was amazing!" Bridgette declared, throwing her hands up in delight.

"But also really tiring," Miranda added. "Dancing all night is exhausting!"

"I'm just glad we don't have school tomorrow," Hunter agreed. We all rose from our respective spots and headed to our rooms.

"Oh, before I forget," Tori said suddenly. "I saw Cassidy at the dance. She was talking to this dark haired boy, I have no idea who he was."

"I thought..." I mused, then shook my head. The other girls paid me no mind and went off to their rooms.

Whatever. Cassidy was no longer my problem. She could do whatever she wanted, as long as she stayed out of my way. I closed my bedroom door, went into the bathroom, and started a shower. I pealed my dress off and let the boiling hot water cascade down my back, washing away hair product and lip gloss.

Fifteen minutes later, I crawled into black and green plaid sweat pants and a black sports bra and slipped into bed blissfully, the spot on my cheek still tingling from where Andy kissed me.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, I was awoken by the sound of my phone vibrating. I jolted awake and my hand flew instinctively to my side table, grabbing my phone. I glared angrily at the caller i.D., until I saw Andy's name. My expression softened and I slide my phone open to read his message.

"Morning :)"

I smiled and started to type out a reply.

"Hey there! :) Good morning".

I looked at the clock and saw that it was only eight thirty in the morning. Sure, I had planned on sleeping in. But to wake up to Andy's text was nice too.

"So did you have fun last night?" He wrote.

"Yes," I wrote back, smiling to myself. "I did. You?"

"I had a blast! :) We should hang out again, soon."

"I'd like that," I replied.

"Great," he typed out. "How about today?"

I thought for a moment, before writing, "What time, and where?"

"Noon, Magix city. I'll meet you in the square."

No argument there! "Sounds sweet, see you then," I replied hastily.

"Can't wait," he responded. I smiled and set my phone down. So this is how it felt, to have someone chase after you. To have someone want to be with you. A feeling I had not once experienced with a boy, but a feeling I planned on holding onto for a long time.

I took my time showering and getting ready and tore through my closet looking for something nice to wear. I finally settled on a green and black striped tank top, black skinny jeans, and green high top Converse. I spiked my hair and used magic to dye the tips black and green again. It was eleven forty-five when I realized, I had never been to Magix on my own. I had no idea how the bus system worked, and at this point, there was no time to figure out an alternate way there. So I left my bedroom and hurried down the hall to Kat and Bridgette's room. I gently knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" Came Kat's reply. I opened the door and found Bridgette laying on her bed, texting feverishly and I heard a blow dryer in the bathroom.

"What's up, Alice?" Bridgette asked, momentarily tearing her eyes away from her phone to regard me.

"I actually had a question for you guys, but if you're busy-"

"No, we were just getting ready to go," Kat called. "Whatcha need?"

"Go?" I asked. "Where're you going?"

"Magix," Bridgette replied, shutting her phone with a snap. "We all are. We're all going to see the guys in the city today, since we all have the day off from classes."

My eyes widened and I felt a sigh of relief escape me. "Oh, that's great! I mean, I was going to meet Andy in the city too, but since you guys are going in too, I'll ride with you."

"You're going with Andy!" Kat exclaimed. "That's great! This is like a six way date!"

"Not a date," I corrected her, blushing slightly. "We're just hanging out."

"Psh!" Bridgette scoffed. "It is so a date."

I shook my head and played with my phone to distract from my blushing.

"Alright," Kat said, emerging from the bathroom. "Let's go!"

The twelve of us were probably a sight to see, parading down the streets of Magix. We were easily the loudest, most obnoxious people there, taking up the whole sidewalk. While ten of us were immersed in conversation with everyone else, Max and Hunter were immersed in no one but each other. They walked alone, close to the back of the pack, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes like newlyweds. It was just cute enough to not make me want to vomit. Tori and Adam walked behind them. They both had their arms crossed over their chests and didn't look at one another, but they were talking. Bridgette had her hands full, flirting zealously with both Nolan and Michael. She walked in between them, while Kat was off to Nolan's right, adding her two cents here and there to the conversation. Miranda, Josh, Andy, and I had a nice little four way conversation going on, all of us smiling and laughing.

We walked to get pizza and when we finished eating we went to the park. It was a beautiful day out, just cloudy enough to not be blinding and the perfect temperature for a T-shirt and jeans. Which meant there were plenty of people at the park when we got there. We walked through parents and children and other couples and got to a fountain in the center of the park. It was a long rectangular fountain with three spouts, the largest one in the middle. The water was sparkling and clear and fell in crystalline drops from the spouts and into the pond below. I sat on the edge and leaned into the pond, so my face was inches from the water.

"What are you doing?" Andy chuckled and sat next to me.

"Watch this," I breathed, still looking at the water. I took a deep breath and blew on the surface. My breath touched the water and froze a thin layer of ice onto the sliver of pond. I rose and looked at Andy as he smiled at my work. The ice left a beautiful pattern on the water's surface and you could still see the water moving under the paper thin ice.

"Beautiful," Andy said, looking at me and smiling. I winked at him and turned back to the water.

Miranda was on the other side, reaching her hand across the pond to touch the spout closest to her. She reached her hand past the pumping stream of water and touched the marble spout. The water went from a slow steady flow to a lightning fast cascade. It went so fast, the water looked more like a pale blue wall than a clear, flowing entity. She giggled as she withdrew her hand, shaking it around to get rid of the excess water. As soon as her hand left the spout, the water slowed back to it's normal flow. She and Josh laughed and he applauded her work

Bridgette and her boys seemed unfazed by the magical events before them. They continued their conversation without attention to anyone else. Kat stared at the water and slowly a smile crept onto her face.

"Hey guys," she said to everyone. "Stand back, and check this out." Everyone turned to look at her, including Michael and Nolan. We all moved away from the water's edge and watched as Kat held her hands out to the water. Little sparks of yellow zapped from her finger tips. They jumped out of her skin and landed on the water's surface. The water emanated a yellow glow as it became charged by the electricity. We all watched in amazement as the electricity jumped around on the water, charging it and making all of our hair stand on end. A little trace of yellow lightening was strung between the waster spouts. I looked at Kat's face and saw total control and bliss. She looked happy to have everyone's attention and even happier to be in total control of the elements around her.

_Bravo, Kat_, I though, smiling.

Then I looked at Bridgette and saw a smile on her face as well. But only in her mouth. In her eyes, there was jealousy. She looked from Nolan to Michael, then back to Kat. Then I watched her close her eyes and soon, the clouds overhead were multiplying and growing darker and fuller. I frowned, confused by what she was doing. Her friend was in the spotlight, after a day of being overshadowed. Now Bridgette looked like she was about to cause trouble... Her eyes continued to stay closed as the clouds darkened. When the lightening flashed, her eyes sprang open.

"Hey guys, check it!" she exclaimed. "I made lightening too!" Bridgette pointed upward and everyone looked at her, then to the sky. Kat's joy fled from her eyes and she lowered her hands, the electricity failing with her confidence. Bridgette laughed at her success, making everyone else laugh as well. Kat smiled, agreeing with everyone else, but I saw the hurt in her eyes.

But Bridgette had created something of a storm. The lightening flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance. Everyone's smiles faded when the rain started. People in the park ran for cover as the drizzle sloped into a downpour. Bridgette looked at the sky, frantically searching for something to make the rain stop. She gave a nervous smile, and a little laugh. We let the rain fall on us for a moment as Bridgette tried to control it, and we laughed as she tried. Well, everyone but Kat and I laughed. When Bridgette couldn't get it to stop, we turned tail and headed for the city again. Bridgette and her boys lead the pack. Kat started to trail along in back, but I grabbed her wrist and smiled. She walked next to Andy and I was we all headed back to the city; one of my hands clasped in Andy's, the other clutching Kat's tiny wrist.

Later than night, when we were back at school, I went to Kat's room. When I knocked and was called in, my plan was to talk to Kat alone about what happened. But as I stood in the doorway, I saw Kat and Bridgette on Bridgette's bed, talking avidly. They were both smiling when they looked up at me.

"What's up?" Kat asked, her face flushed. I looked back and forth between the two of them, then shook my head.

"Never mind, no worries," I replied monotonously. Then I shut the door and went back to my room, where I stayed for the rest of the night.

_It must have just been me..._


	9. Chapter 9

The next few weeks at Alfea went by breezily. Not to much school work, plenty of time to start really connecting with our Winx. And a good amount of time to spend with the boys. It was nice that everyone in our new expanded group got along so well. All twelve of us frequently went out, whether it be out to eat, to movies, or a day trip into Magix city. There were plenty of times we went out just as couples though, which was always nice. But for four of us, all was not well in couple's paradise. The love square between Bridgette and Kat, Nolan and Michael had yet to be resolved, and it often created tension in the group. There were numerous times where I felt like I needed to say something to Bridgette, but I was always convinced otherwise by Andy. He said I should leave it be, that it would all work itself out. I envied his lay-back attitude.

It seemed that no matter what Bridgette did to hog the boys' attention, Kat was always back at her side. Bridgette was constantly trying to one-up Kat or make herself seem more appealing by comparison. She had even gone so low as to criticize herself in front of the boys in hopes of gaining compliments. In the beginning, I saw the rest of the girls playing into her games. I knew girls like that back home and saw right through her. And it seemed, after some time, so did everyone else. But Bridgette didn't seem like she was ready to give in anytime soon. Meanwhile, she had both Nolan and Michael at her beck and call, while Kat was left longing for their attention. And yet, every time I confronted Kat about this, she brushed me off and denied anything was wrong. So I decided that if Kat didn't care, why should I. If she was OK with being overlooked and stepped on, it wasn't my place to try to change her mindset. Maybe there was just more to it than I was seeing. Either way, I was losing more and more respect for Bridgette.

Every year, Red Fountain held an exhibition at the school to display the boys' training. That meant Professor Saladin had all the boys working double time on their training. That made it hard for any of us to get a chance to see the boys. I knew Andy was incredibly busy, but that didn't stop me from constantly checking my phone, both in class and out. It was taking a toll on the other girls as well. Andy and I hadn't put a label on whatever we were, but Josh and Miranda, and Hunter and Max had. So if I was going crazy with not speaking to my whatever Andy was, Miranda and Hunter were losing it. Hunter was rarely without her phone and seemed less perky that usual. But no one complained more than Bridgette. She was without not one boy, but two. She still had both on her hook and it made me sick. We were walking back from class when she pulled out her phone, growling.

"I can't wit until this stupid exhibition is over!"

"Why?" Tori asked.

"Because she can't talk to Nolan and Michael," I answered shortly, examining my nails carelessly.

"Exactly!" Bridgette laughed. I rolled my eyes. She was totally oblivious to the fact that my patience with her was short. "I mean, what could Saladin possibly have them doing that requires the to be away from their phones all the time?"

"Training them," Miranda answered. "This exhibition means a lot to the students, not to mention the school."

"Yeah, everyone's parents come to see it, everyone from Magix," Hunter agreed. "And some of the guys have some powerful parents. Royalty, kings and queens."

"I believe it," Kat nodded. "Someone's got to supply the money for that huge school."

"I just wish the boys didn't have to work so hard," Bridgette pouted, looking once again at her phone. "We are going to the exhibition, right? I have to see Michael and Nolan perform!"

"Oh no, we're going," Miranda chuckled. "We are defiantly going."

"Fantastic," Kat said. "I really like Michael, I can't wait to see him perform tonight."

"Oh my gosh, that's so great!" Bridgette exclaimed. "Cause I really like Nolan! This is so perfect, we can double date! I'm so excited!"

The rest of the week went by with minimal contact with any of the boys. Even Josh was to busy to talk to Miranda everyday. When Saturday morning rolled around, we all got out of bed early to get down to Red Fountain on time. The whole school was going, so we all walked through the forest together. Faraginda and Miss Griffin, Headmistress of Cloud Tower, both headed out early this morning to help Saladin with the last few preparations. All the girls dressed up for today, to look good for both the boys and the royalty that was sure to be in attendance. I was happy the whole walk there, talking with Kat about the exhibition. She was excited to see the boys as well, mostly Michael. But no one, not even Hunter, was as talkative as Bridgette. But no matter how much she talked, I made a serious attempt to ignore her. It was a fun day for everyone and I refused to allow anyone get in the way of it. But throughout the whole day, I made an attempt to keep Kat by my side.

Our seats were to close to the middle of the stadium, so we had a good view of the whole arena. Even though we couldn't see who the boys were from so high up, their names were announced over the magic-powered intercom. And we could see all the stunts they performed perfectly. We all six of us sat together next to a few seniors. One overheard our conversation about Paladium's Potionology class and joined in. She was about Hunter's height with straight brown hair and big hazel eyes. She was dressed in black skinny jeans and a flowy black top.

"Oh no, Paladium's class will only get harder, trust me," she insisted. "I'm a senior. By the time you get to be an upper classmen, you'll be begging for freshmen year again." She smiled and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Lauren." We all shook her hand and introduced ourselves. Immediately, she clicked with us. Lauren was so energetic and smart, she had something to add to anything we talked about. She was there with her two friends, Mary and Emma. They had four friends in the exhibition today, one was Emma's long time boyfriend Shawn. Emma and Hunter hit it off quickly when they learned Shawn and Max had been friends since they were kids. We were in the midst of talking about our Winx when Saladin's voice came over the intercom.

"Welcome, friends and family, to the Red Fountain Day of the Royal's exhibition!" We all cheered with the rest of the crowd, then Saladin continued. "Our boys have trained for weeks for this day. We are proud to present their skills and talents to you all here today. So please, join me in welcoming, this year's Red Fountain seniors!" Lauren, Emma, and Mary all stood up and cheered, clapping and yelling for their friends. I kept my eyes trained on the arena, anxiously looking for any sign of Andy.

After three hours of watching the boys perform, my butt was numb and my eyes hurt from trying to search for faces, but I had been entertained. Andy and the guys did great. Now, family and guests filed out towards the exits, while Alfea students and the Red Fountain boys made their way to the quad in the middle of the school for a party being held in the boy's honor. While Kat and I hunted for Andy and Michael, we talked about the display we had just seen.

"The dragon session so freaky!" Kat exclaimed.

We were walking through the outdoor halls with cans of soda in our hands. The rest of the girls had dissipated, mingling with others. I had gotten a glimpse of Cale and Amy at one point, but lost them quickly in the crowd. I was trying to convince myself Andy was the only guy I was searching for.

"I mean, I've never even seen a dragon before, much less seen one be controlled like that!" Kat shook her head and took a sip from her soda, smiling. "Easily the best part of today."

I grinned. "You mean, watching Michael control the dragon was the best part. I seriously doubt you paid any attention to the rest of the guys."

Kat flushed and shrugged. "Well, it's not like you were looking at anyone but Andy either." I smiled to myself as Caleb walked by with a few other guys. With Amy nowhere in sight. Thankfully, Kat was to busy talking about Michael to notice I took the time to stare at Caleb. Then it was my turn to grin into my can of soda and try not to blush.

Kat and I talked as we walked, still trying to weed out our boys through the masses of other heroes and fairies. Then we turned a corner down the hall and both stopped dead in our tracks. I looked away from the sight of Michael and Bridgette making out against a wall to look at Kat, whose mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were wide and watery. I turned back to the kissing couple and cleared my throat loudly. They quickly pulled away from each other and looked at us.

"Um, Kat, hi," Bridgette stammered, trying to fix her hair. "We were just-" Kat whipped on her heel and ran down the hall. I watched her until she was gone, then turned back to Michael and Bridgette.

"Nice job, slut," I hissed and took off after Kat.


	10. Chapter 10

It was safe to say the mood of the night had been ruined. When I found Kat crying, I did my best to comfort her. Emotion wasn't exactly my area of expertise, but I tried my best. I felt bad for her. She was easily my favorite out of the group. If she hadn't been crying, I would have gone back to where that little back stabber stood and booted her off the top of Red Fountain. But Kat needed me more right now, so I stayed with her. I didn't say much, just let her cry. I'm not sure if it helped, but I know that's what I would want someone to do for me. My phone went off about a few times, but I ignored it. It was probably Andy, wondering where I was. Kat's phone went off too and that only made her cry harder. I took it from her before she had a chance to look at it and she didn't object when I kept it as it continued to ring. After about twenty minutes in that corner, Kat took a deep breath and rubbed her red rimmed eyes.

"I want to go home now," she muttered. I nodded and we stood up. "I'm gonna go find Miranda, OK?"

"Yeah," I replied, nodding. "Sure. Gimme just one second, don't go without me." I was worried she would run into Bridgette or Michael and didn't want her seeing either of them without me.

I took a few steps away from Kat and pulled my phone out of my jacket pocket. Six new text messages, three missed calls, two voicemail's. Two calls and one voicemail from Bridgette, one from Miranda. Bridgette was crying in her's, asking for me to call her, asking if I knew where Kat was. I erased the message, and all four of her text messages. Then I went into Kat's phone and did the same. After that was done, I checked Andy's messages. The first was telling me where he would be after the exhibition, asking me to meet him there and at what time. The second message was ten minutes after said designated time, asking where I was. The other voicemail was from Miranda, telling me at what time everyone would be leaving. I sent her a text message, saying Kat and I were leaving early. Then I checked the time; twenty minutes since Andy texted me. He must have sent the first message just as we found Bridgette and Michael together. I dialed his number and he picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, where are you?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry Andy," I said, trying to stay quiet so Kat wouldn't hear. "Something came up. I want to come see you, but I really have to get home."

"What happened? Where are you?" he asked.

"It's complicated," I replied, looking over my shoulder at Kat. "Look, I really gotta go. I'll try to call you tonight, OK?"

"Yeah, sure," Andy sighed. He sounded a little sad, but he wasn't my priority right now.

"Thanks," I said. "Call you later." Then I hung up. I slipped my phone back into my jacket pocket and went back to Kat. "Ready to go?" I asked. Kat just nodded. I linked my arm through hers and smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Then we fought our way back through the crowd to get to the front of the school.

If our Winx was more advanced, we could fly back to the school to get their faster. That's all Kat wanted, was to get home before Bridgette, who still was calling Kat's phone, which I still had. But our only option was to walk. When we finally reached the castle, it was about six. Thankfully, there was no school tomorrow so we could relax. But I guarantee Bridgette wouldn't stay in the dorm with Kat all day, she would be out with Michael. Bridgette didn't seem like the kind of girl that confronted her problems. This was by no means Michael's fault, he had no idea Kat liked him. But he was still involved and would share some of the blame in my mind. When we got back to the dorm, Kat and I went to her room. The dorm was still empty, thankfully. We sat on her bed and I stayed quiet, waiting for her to say something.

"I just don't understand why she did it," she said softly, looking at her hands. "She knew I liked him! I told her!"

I shrugged. "Do you want me to be nice? Or do you want me to be honest?"

"Honesty would be nice right now," she answered.

"I don't think she's a nice girl," I answered simply. "I don't think she did it on purpose, but I don't think she did it on accident either." I shrugged again. "I don't trust her."

"But..." Kat shook her head. "She's my best friend, I've known her for years... How could she do this?" Her voice broke and her lower lip trembled. I laid my hand over her'.

"Sometimes, shit happens," I said simply. I didn't know what else to say, so I told her what I would want to hear, were I in the same position. "And people you thought you knew, they change. They turn out to be nowhere close to the person you thought you knew." I gave her hand a squeeze. "But, this kind of stuff makes you stronger, you know?" Kat nodded and gave me a sad smile. "Listen, why don't you go take a shower, clam down a little."

"OK," Kat agreed. She got up to go to the bathroom, then turned back towards me halfway there. "I don't really want to share a room with her tonight. Can I maybe, sleep in your room tonight?"

"Why not?" I answered.

Kat smiled. "Thanks, Alice." Then she went to the bathroom to take a shower. When I heard the water turn on, I pulled my phone out and dialed Andy's number. It rang for a while and I was about to hang up, when he answered.

"Hey Andy, it's me," I said, smiling. "Sorry I had to leave so quickly, like I said, something came up."

"No problem," he answered. "What happened, why'd you leave?"

"Oh, just Bridgette being the slut I pegged her for," I replied.

"Wow, what?" Andy asked. "What do you mean?"

"Kat told us she liked that guy Michael, then Bridgette said she liked Nolan. So tonight, when we were out looking for you, we found Bridgette macking on Michael." I scoffed. "Damn back stabber."

Andy whistled. "Heavy shit. What'd Kat do?"

"Cried. That's why we left, I didn't want to run into Bridgette again. I was afraid I'd kill her." Just then, my call waiting went off. I rolled my eyes and checked the caller i.D. It was Miranda. "Andy? I gotta go, Miranda's calling."

"Come on, Alice, I haven't talked to you all week," Andy argued. "You'll see Miranda when she gets home."

"And I can see you tomorrow!" I insisted. "I need to call Miranda back, but I'll text you, OK?"

"Fine, whatever," Andy pouted. Then I hung up. Right after, I called Miranda back. She picked up on the second ring. I gave her the rundown of tonight with Bridgette. When I was done, I let Miranda decide what to do next.

"Well, I think we're gonna head home," Miranda concluded. "Where's Kat now?"

"I told her to take a shower, try to cool off. Where's Bridgette?"

"I have no idea, I haven't seen her all night."

"If she knows what's good for her, she won't come home tonight," I growled. "And if she does, she'll be sleeping alone. Kat moved into my room."

I heard Miranda growl into the phone. "This is so annoying! Why would she do something like that? She just created so much drama!"

I nodded and told her the same thing I told Kat. "Shit happens."

Bridgette was the last one home that night. Everyone else had come in long before, took their turn comforting Kat, then they all went to bed. I was the only one awake when Bridgette came home. I looked at Kat, sleeping, then turned back to my open bedroom door. I watched Bridgette walked into her room, turned on the light, then just stood there staring at Kat's empty side of the room. She turned around and looked into my room. I glared at her red rimmed eyes and tousled hair. I got up from my bed and made my way over to the door. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but I kept my mouth shut so I wouldn't wake Kat. I knew once I opened my mouth, I would want to scream at her. But I stayed quiet. I just kept my piercing green eyes set hard on her puffy brown ones and shut the door in her face.


	11. Chapter 11

The mood in the dorm changed overnight. When we woke up late Sunday morning, Bridgette's door was closed. So we went down to breakfast without her. But when we got back, she was sitting on the couch in the living room. I took a protective step in front of Kat and stared at Bridgette. She gave the five of us a small smile.

"Hi guys," she said softly. "I was hoping we could talk about last night.

"Nothing to talk about," I snapped. Bridgette looked like I had slapped her in the face. She should be so lucky that's all I do to her.

"No, Alice it's OK," Kat assured me. She stepped around me. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to explain what happened!" Bridgette exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes. She jumped to her feet and walked over to Kat. "I didn't mean to hurt you at all, I swear!"

Kat looked at her for a minute, then asked, "Then why did you?" This left Bridgette speechless. She blinked a few times, shocked that Kat asked her up front like that.

"I just..." Bridgette stammered. "I didn't know-"

"Didn't know what?" Miranda asked. Her face displayed genuine curiosity, while her tone was sharp. "That you were kissing the guy Kat liked? Because we were all there when she said it."

"Stop interrupting me!" Brudgette snapped, glaring at Miranda.

"No, Bridgette," Hunter agreed, nodding. "I want to know too." Hunter kept the mood calm among the girls, but I could feel her anger rising as well.

"Kat, you're my best friend," Bridgette pleaded. "You know I would never try to hurt you. I wasn't planning for this to happen, you have to believe me!" Bridgette shrugged and looked at her feet. "It just did."

"And yet, you haven't apologized to Kat," I pointed out.

"Kat you know how sorry I am!" Bridgette insisted.

"How could she know when you haven't said anything yet?" Tori asked.

"Bridgette you know what you did was wrong," I growled. "Apologize, and leave it alone."

"Will you just shut up Alice!" Bridgette yelled, balling up her hands into fists. "All of you, shut up! You're not even listening to me!"

"Are you really saying anything?" I demanded.

"Alice, you know what I think?" Bridgette questioned, hands crossed and eyes narrowed. She didn't pause to let me answer. "I think you're jealous. Jealous of me, my power, my relationship with the other girls! Now you're gonna do whatever you can to turn them against me, just like you did to Cassidy. You even told Kat to sleep in your room last night!"

"I didn't make you kiss Michael," I countered. "If I remember correctly, you were on the anti-Cassidy bandwagon. And Kat asked to sleep in my room, I didn't make her. You keep saying what a good friend you are to Kat." I shrugged and crossed my arms. "I think you're full of shit."

"I'm sorry Bridgette, but I have to agree," Tori sighed. "What you did... Not cool at all." It was quiet for a minute. I looked at Kat. She looked so sad.

"Maybe you should find a new room, Bridgette," Hunter said softly.

Bridgette stared at Hunter, appalled. "Are you serious? You're kicking me out, over this?"

"What, is this not important enough for you?" Miranda asked.

"Is this really that big of a deal!" Bridgette screamed.

"Yes it is," Kat answered. "To me."

"He's a guy Kat, OK?" Bridgette spat impatiently. "He's just a dumb guy that you'll get over." She rolled her eyes and cocked her hip to one side. "He wasn't even that great of a kisser anyway."

I shouldn't have been surprised. But I was. So were the other girls. I looked at Kat and saw angry tears in her eyes.

"Get out!" she screeched. Yellow jolts of electricity jumped from her ringlets. Bridgette stared at her, open mouthed. "Now! Out!" Bridgette looked at the rest of us, hoping for backup of some kind. I glared at her and nodded to the door. She scooted out and slammed the door behind her.

So that's how six became five.


	12. Chapter 12

Our whole Basic Flight Skills class raced around the school in the air. For the past week, we had been working on speed training and the race was our test to see how much we learned to control our speed and agility. The whole class started at the same point, but Miranda and I easily bolted ahead of everyone else. Her speed power was defiantly being put to good use. But I had the wind on my side. Three-quarters around and we had left the rest of the class fighting for a third place spot. We were getting closer and closer to the finish line; I could see Professor Matrion floating in the distance. I glanced at Miranda next to me and smiled.

"You can't beat me Alice!" she laughed and pumped her wings harder.

"Oh yeah?" I challenged and beat my own wings faster. I curled my fingers into fists and curled my toes in my boots, willing every fiber of my being to go faster. I wanted so bad to beat the fairy of speed in a flying contest. Serious bragging rights, even if she is my friend, not to mention good marks on the race.

Matrion was right in front of us, then she was behind us. Miranda and I eased to a stop, breathing heavily. I put my hands over my head and looked at Miranda.

"Great job!" she heaved, clutching her sides.

"You too," I nodded. I watched the other girls cross Matrion. "Who won?"

"It's a tie!" Matrion announced, spinning to face us. "Very well done girls, all of you. Miranda, Alice, full marks for the race. Excellent job today girls, you may head back to the quad. Class is dismissed." The she disappeared. Miranda and I waited for the other girls, then we slowly flew back to the quad. I saw Bridgette floating along, next to Amy no less. They were chatting and laughing together. From what I heard about Amy, the two of them had the potential to be best friends.

"Great job guys!" Hunter congratulated, grinning wide.

"I love how none of us even got close to winning," Kat joked.

"I didn't even try," Tori said.

"Why?" I asked. "It's fun!"

"I get tired just thinking about it."

"Maybe if you slept every once in a while, you wouldn't be so tired," Hunter chuckled. "Besides, you'll get bad grades if you don't do something.

"I'm great in every other class," Tori countered. "It evens out. And I do to sleep!"

"When was the last time you slept for more than an hour?" Kat wondered.

Tori considered this. Then her face lit up. "I remember! I specifically remember sleeping four hours a week ago. It was a Tuesday." She nodded, satisfied with herself, and smiled.

Bridgette had switched dorms after the night of the argument and we were all happy to see her go. Now Kat was in my room, which I loved. I liked Kat and we got along really well. It seemed like we developed some kind of bond after the incident with Bridgette happened. We went to each other fo everything. So when I was having doubts about my relationship with Andy, Kat was my go-to girl.

"So, do you not like him anymore?" Kat inquired. We both sat cross-legged on my bed, in sweat pants, drinking ice tea with the stereo playing 80's rock n' roll. Our usual Saturday afternoon routine.

"No, I like him," I nodded.

"Then why do you want to break up with him?"

"I just feel..." I screwed up my face and bit my lip. "I feel like we're not meshing anymore. Like it's not fun anymore." I shrugged. "I don't know. It's like, for the past few weeks there's been a disconnect."

"Then I think it's time," Kat concluded. I sighed and nodded. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I think it's all good," I said. "I'm not in love with the idea, but I feel like it needs to be done." I smiled.

Kat reached out and hugged me. "I love you more than Andy could anyway," she joked. I smiled and made a kissy face at her. Then I got up, grabbed my phone, and went to the balcony. I shut the door behind me and dialed Andy's number.

"Are you really doing this over the phone?" Andy asked. He sounded like he could cry.

I shrugged. "I guess so." He was silent. I leaned on the railing, waiting for him to say something to break this awkward silence.

He let out a huge sigh. "This sucks."

"Yeah," I said, drawing out the symbols. And another awkward silence... "Look, I gotta go, OK?"

"Yeah, sure," Andy said dejectedly. Then we hung up. I ran my hand through my hair and rubbed my eyes. Then I went back into the room where Kat was still sitting on the bed.

"So?" she asked.

I flopped face down on her bed. "That was so awkward!" I yelled, my voice muffled. Kat giggled and reached over to pat my back. "He sounded so sad, like he was going to cry!"

"Do you feel good about it?" Kat asked, getting up. She set her ice tea on the nightstand and went to the radio, fiddling with the music.

I lifted my head up. "Oddly enough? I do."

"Great!" she exclaimed. "Then I say we finish our ice tea, change out of these sweat pants and go out. I was talking to Lauren the other day and she says there's this great dance club in downtown Magix city. We should totally go and check it out."

I sat up and looked lovingly at my comfy sweat pants. Then I shrugged and got up. "What the hell, why not?"


	13. Chapter 13

It happened the week of finals. We were in our Defense and Refection Skills course, with Griselda. Our final was a battle against two girls to test our battle and defensive skills. And guess who my partner was?

"Bridgette and Alice!" Griselda barked. I sighed, but bit my tongue. This was my final grade of the year. And my chance to demonstrate my skill. Time to nut up or shut up.

I transformed and stepped in the the center of the quad and Bridgette did the same. She was glaring at me, looking ready. But I was ready too. Ready to kick her butt. The rest of the girls stood back to watch.

"Now girls, this battle will be five minutes long," Griselda declared. "You will be graded on your ability to attack your opponent and defend against enemy fire. Ready?" She looked from Bridgette to me but neither of us looked back at her. We were to busy staring each other down. "Begin!"

Bridgette made the first move. She stood with her feet shoulder length apart and brought her hands over above her head. She slammed me palms together and the air was split with a loud cracking sound. Immediately, storm clouds gathered overhead. Seconds later, icy rain was pouring from the sky. I smirked. Did she think that was going to slow me down? I was now in my element.

I sprang into the sky and Bridgette followed swiftly after me. Once we were out of earshot, Bridgette spoke.

"Ready to get blown right out of the sky Alice?" she taunted.

"Talk is cheap Bridgette," I countered. "So shut up and let's fight."

Bridgette shrugged. "If you say so." She flung her hands at me and sent bolts of lightening my way. I threw my hands in front of me and a sheet of frozen rain protected me from the blast. I sprang over the ice wall and landed a kick to her chest, sending her flying backward. She somersaulted and started to reagin her composure. But she wasn't given the chance when I sent a gust of wind her way and knocked her out of the sky once again. I wanted to attack with fire next and get this fight over with, so while Bridgette got back to my level, I created an airtight barrier around myself to keep out the rain still drenching us both and the other girls below.

"Trying to hide now, Alice?" Bridgette asked. "Scared you're gonna lose?"

She created a black storm cloud in her hands and sent it hurling at my force field. I gritted my teeth as I fed energy back into the shield. It held, but she kept hitting it with more clouds of energy. I couldn't keep the shield up much longer and still have enough energy to make the fire. I let the shield down while she gathered her latest energy ball and flew lower the the ground. Bridgette abandoned her attack and chased after me. I flew close to the ground and turned so my back was to the ground and I was flying backward. I let the air currents guide me through my flight. Bridgette flew close to me and tried to knock my to the ground. I shot clumps of earth and rock from the ground at her. The first few shots I missed, but on the third shot, I made contact with her right wing. She let out a yelp as that little stone flung her towards the ground. She hit it hard and bounced a few times before skidding to a stop.

While she struggled to her feet, I took the time to absorb the energy of the rain and make it stop. The strength of the rain made me stand up a little straighter. We were well away from the rest of the girls and Grislda, but I was in the zone of the fight. Nothing else mattered but winning.

I created a ball of fire in my hands and hurled it at Bridgette. Somehow, she dodged the attack. I kept throwing fire at her but she used the wind to snuff out the flames. I gritted my teeth and threw harder, but my anger clouded my vision and my aim was failing for sure. Next thing I knew, Bridgette was a foot in front of me.

"So you didn't like my rain?" she panted. "Let's try something a little heavier, shall we?" She opened her mouth and blew a gust of frozen wind at me. I skidded backwards and barely stayed on my feet. I felt a shiver run down my spine and knew I needed fire now. Bridgette laughed and spun on her toes. The storm clouds were back, but this time sleet and baseball sized snowballs pelted me from above.

I thrust my hands above my head and spread them, creating a shield of fire over my head. The snow melted upon impact and I was safe from the cold. Bridgette blew a frosty wind at me again, but I countered that with a breath of fire. The two collided and created a barrier of steam, stealing the visibility from the playing field. I shot fire in random places, hoping to hit Bridgette. But I didn't hear her cry out so I kept shooting. I was panicking. I wasn't sure why, but I was. I wasn't thinking straight so I wasn't paying attention to what was around me. Bridgette came up behind me and shot a bolt of lightening at my back.

The blow sent me sprawling on the ground and I tasted dirt and blood. I had bit my tongue. I heard Bridgette laugh and she shot another bolt of lightening my way. I rolled out of the way just in time and kept rolling as she continued to attack me. This battle was turning into a little bit more than a final exam. The burn on my back told me Bridgette was actually trying to hurt me. I rose to my feet. Two could play at that game. I opened my arms and absorbed the steam. When my vision cleared, Bridgette was a few feet to my left. I didn't hesitate and shot a stream of water at her. She flinched and doubled over, but recovered quickly. She held up her hand to send an attack my way, but I was quicker. I threw a gust of wind at her, but she caught it. She smirked at me and shook her head.

"Big mistake Alice," she hissed.

Bridgette expanded on the wind and turned it into a small tornado. When it was to large to hold, she raised it over her head and chucked it at me. It touched the ground just in front of me and the force of the wind swept me up in it's cyclone. I flailed my limbs and tried to get my wings back under control. The tornado was strong, but my power over it was stronger. I let myself be carried deep into the tunnel until I was sucked into the tornado's eye. I closed my eyes and quickly took control of the tornado. Now when I passed through it, it didn't whip me around. I simply waved my hands and caught Bridgette in the growing twister. She growled and next thing I knew, we were both in the cyclone, fighting not each other, but the tornado. We fought for control of it's power. I felt Bridgette wavering; she was trying to control the tornado and keep the blizzard alive outside the cyclone. She couldn't do both and she knew it. So she gave up the blizzard and concentrated totally on the tornado.

The energy put towards the tornado from Bridgette and I combined made it stronger and bigger. Soon, neither one of us could control it. I sensed the overload and ducked out quickly. Bridgette thought I was giving up; she smiled. I smiled too, from outside the tornado. I landed on the ground and looked up at the twister, at Bridgette slowly realizing she was trapped. She looked around frantically, and was thrown out of the wind cyclone. She landed a few feet away from me and the tornado kept whirling. I paid it no mind; nor did I pay any mind to the rest of our class that came running up with Ms. Griselda. My eyes were glued to Bridgette, waiting for her to get up and strike me again. And slowly she did.

"Give up, Bridgette!" I hollered over the sound of the wind. "You can't win, just end it!"

"Oh, don't worry Alice," she growled. "I'll end it alright!" Once again, she clapped her hands over her head and shook the earth with her thunder. I slammed my fist on the ground and shook the earth with my own earthquake. Bridgette shot another jolt of lightening at me, haphazardly aimed. I nearly dodged it and realized how exhausted I was. I looked at Bridgette and saw her panting too. The fight needed to end before someone got seriously hurt. I pursed my lips and shot a stream of fire her way. She waved her hand over her head and blocked the fire with wind. She screamed as she put everything she had in another lightening attack.

"Stop!" Griselda ordered. The attack stopped, the tornado stopped and both Bridgette and I froze. The whole class had gathered and Griselda stood in front of them, her hands out in front of her. She absorbed the power from all the attacking elements and lowered her hands. "Miss Faragonda's office, now," she growled.


	14. Chapter 14

"Girls, would you care to tell Miss Faragonda about your little quarrel?" Griselda growled, her arms crossed. Bridgette and I were sitting in Faragonda's office, back in our street clothes. Faragonda sat waiting behind her desk, her fingers intertwined on her desk, looking at us. Griselda peered down at us, glaring.

"Yes girls," Faragonda agreed, leaning back in her chair. "I would like to know how this school exam escalated to such a level." When we said nothing, she continued. "Was there a reason for the fighting? Because Alfea fairies should never fight one another with the ferocity you two displayed." Again, we said nothing. I couldn't think of anything to say. I was absolutely ashamed that I was now in Faragonda's office, having to confess what happened to her. The whole fight was stupid and I could have handled it better. I wrung my hands in my lap and looked down, refusing to meet the headmistress's eyes. Bridgette next to me had her arms crossed. I didn't see a trace of shame in her eyes when I glanced over, just frustration.

"Alice," Faragonda said gently. "Will you tell me what happened?"

I gave a small shrug. "It just started as a fight. Then it turned into something else. Like, we were fighting to hurt each other."

"You were trying to kill me!" Bridgette snapped. I turned to her, open mouthed. She looked from me, back to the headmistress. "Miss Faragonda, you have to believe me, this whole thing was her fault."

"Now, Bridgette," Faragonda reasoned. "I called you in here to get to the bottom of this, not to point fingers."

"And from what I saw, you both seemed to be to blame," Griselda said, adjusting her glasses and glaring at each of us in turn.

"Then you saw wrong!" Bridgette insisted, gripping the sides of the chair she sat in. "You're all wrong!" She stood up abruptly and wind whipped her hair around. Rage glinted in her eyes and the sudden breeze made her look deranged. Faragonda must have thought so as well because she stood and muttered a spell under her breath. Bridgette raised her hand to the headmistress, but Faragonda's spell worked faster. The wind in the room died and Bridgette's eyelids fluttered. Her body went limp and she crumpled to the floor. Before she could hit the ground, Faragonda's spell caught her. The invisible hand held her suspended in the air for hardly a second, then Bridgette was transported.

"Where did you take her?" I asked.

"Some place safe," Faragonda said slowly. "Please Alice, go back to your dorm. And don't mention this to anyone."

I looked at her puzzled. "But-"

She held up a hand to silence me. "Please. We will discuss this at a later time." She sat back down at her desk. "You are dismissed."

Obviously I was bombarded with questions when I got back to the dorm. What happened, was I expelled, where was Bridgette, was I hurt. But I did as I was told and said nothing. Partly because I was unsure of much myself. The girls eventually let it drop and we sat in the living room together, silently reflecting on what had transpired today. And that night when we went to bed, Bridgette didn't come back. Her things were gone when we woke up the next morning.

The next day, in the middle of Potionology, Grislda came for us. Not just me, but all five of us. We exchanged curious glances before leaving Paladium's class. As I walked past her desk, I heard Amy chuckle.

"Now girls, I'm sure you all are curious as to why you were called down here," Faraginda started. We were seated in five chairs in front of her desk, obediently awaiting her explanation. Griselda stood, looking worried next to Faraginda.

"Miss Faraginda, please," Kat asked. "Where's Bridgette?"

Faragonda sighed. "I can't remember the last time this happened at Alfea. Bridgette has been... Transferred."

"You sent her back to earth!" Tori exclaimed.

"Girls, I don't think you quite understand," Faragonda continued. "What Bridgette did yesterday, the kind of power an emotions she displayed were uncommon for a fairy of her age. Upon further investigation, I found there was an unusual amount of darkness in her." Faragonda sighed again. "She has not been transferred to earth. Bridgette was transferred to Cloud Tower."


	15. Chapter 15

We were all completely floored by what Faragonda just told us. She explained a little bit more, then apologized. As if any of this could possibly be her fault. We knew Bridgette was mean and she had been wrong in quite a few things she had done recently. But a witch? It seemed somewhat impossible. But none of us trusted anyone more than Faragonda, so we stayed quiet as she talked. Then we nodded when she dismissed us and walked silently out of her office. We solemnly walked back to the dorm, now yet again one girl short. But we didn't lose this one to an insignificant teenage girl fight. We lost Bridgette to the dark side. Now she was a Cloud Tower witch. It was an unspoken obligation that as Alfea fairies, we now had to hate her.

We did, after the incident with Michael. But things seemed different now. Like the hatred was different. I guess it was because she was different. I looked at Kat. She was clearly hurt by what we just learned. Bridgette was her best friend and despite what happened with her and Michael, Kat was still somewhat loyal. That's just the way she is. I didn't really understand why until just now. Kat's the kind of person who's not capable of hatred. And the she realized she had been sharing her deepest secrets and her bedroom with a witch was probably hard to swallow.

We turned a corner and were met with the sight of Amy macking on a Red Fountain boy just outside our dorm. My heart dropped when I saw the boy was Caleb. He wasn't dressed in his uniform, rather in black jeans and a black T-shirt. He looked really good. Casual, but still attractive. To good looking to be with Amy, in my opinion.

Amy smirked at us and untangled herself from Caleb. She took a step toward us and he stayed where he was, staring at us curiously. His eyes landed on me and stayed there. I chewed my lip and turned my attention to Amy.

"Sorry to hear about your friend girls," she said sarcastically. "Must be a real tragedy."

"Mind your own business Amy," Miranda said.

"What are you even doing out here?" Hunter inquired. "Shouldn't you be in class?" She looked at Caleb. "Both of you."

"Now who's being nosy?" she asked, crossing her arms, her grin growing. "So did you suspect anything? I mean, there must have been signs." She smirked, then turned to Kat. "What about you, Gingie? You shared a room with her. Ever smell her mixing up a witches brew in the middle of the night? Maybe that's how she stole your guy. Put a little love spell on him and no one ever has to know. That ever cross you mind?" I felt Hunter cast her power over the hall as my temperature began to rise. Amy turned her attention to Hunter and glared. "Alright sweetie, that's enough of that. I'm done here anyway." She turned to Caleb. "Come on babe, let's go." Caleb said nothing, just fell into step with Amy. He was painfully attractive, but to watch him follow Amy around like some kind of pet was pathetic.

"You knew, didn't you?" I asked.

Amy turned and looked at me. "Knew what?" she countered innocently. Then she smiled and continued down the hall. Caleb shoved his hands in his front pockets and walked half a step behind her. The girls filed into the dorm room but I hung back behind them, watching Caleb and Amy go. Right before they turned the corner, he stopped and looked back, his eyes landing on me. I quickly looked away and ducked into the dorm after Kat and shut the door behind me.

"You know, it's a wonder no one's found her out yet," Tori scoffed, settling into the couch. "Because there is no way she's a fairy."

"Are you really making a joke about this?" Kat snapped. "Do you not get how serious this is?"

Tori shrugged and sunk lower in her seat. "Just trying to make light of the situation."

"You wouldn't be making light of anything if you just found out your best friend was a witch," Kat concluded. She started for her and Bridgette's old room and closed the door behind her. I knew she only went in there to be alone, but it hurt me in a way I didn't understand. The fact that she was still loyal to Bridgette, despite what all happened, was confusing for all of us. I decided I needed some privacy of my own and went to my room as well.

By the next morning, every fairy at Alfea knew about Bridgette. Whispers followed us to class the next morning. The upper classmen had gotten over the initial shock of it, but the freshmen were losing their minds. Their mindset was that, if it happened to Bridgette, it could happen to anyone. The Alfea freshmen class quickly became an exact replica of the Salem Witch Trials. No one was safe; I even heard someone accuse Tori, but I'm fairly sure that rumor was started by Jenny, which Tori quickly countered. Over the next few days, the accusations flew. Failed a test in Etiquette & Manners? Witch. Liked the same guy as a girl down the hall? Witch. Maybe you just had a bad day and snapped at someone. Must be a witch. If the teachers knew, they didn't let on. If Faragonda found out she would stomp it out. But we were totally alone in this.

Everyone in our group was accused, just by association with Bridgette. Well, all except Hunter. Her Winx power of serenity and her constant upbeat attitude had pretty much made her safe from everyone. But there were a few people that were at the top of everyone's list. Like myself and Cassidy. Ever since Cassidy had been excluded from our group, she pretty much kept to herself. That, added to her power of poison made her an optimal candidate. And me? I was only accused because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time as her sparing partner for the battle. I tried to ignore the talk as much as I could, but it was hard when I received dirty looks and sneers where ever I went. Everyone was acting catty and trying to stay under the radar, while throwing accusations around themselves. The girls and I really stayed quiet since we seemed to be at the heart of the issues. This was the most annoying Alfea had ever been. From sophomore to senior, everyone was done with the freshmen. Girls started fighting for a spot with the "in crowd" on the off hand they would be safe from the rumors.

One morning, while we were in the dining hall eating breakfast, we were graced with an unexpected visitor.

"Hey guys," Cassidy said in a small voice. "Mind if I join you?"


	16. Chapter 16

It was literally a week until the end of the year. That's when everything went down.

Cassidy had rejoined our group, by an unspoken decision. And after spending almost the whole year alone, she had humbled a lot. She was quieter, nicer and much easier to get along with. Everyone was dealing with Bridgette's discovery well and the witch trials had pretty much died down after a week. Now everyone was just trying to keep their eye on the end of the year. Summer break, going home to see our families. Josh and Miranda had agreed to spend vacation together at with Miranda's family on earth. Hunter and Max were going to spend a few weeks together during the vacation before Max has to go to Solaria to visit his cousins. Tori and Adam hadn't made plans to see each other but they were spending almost every afternoon after class in Magix city. All of us girls would hang out over break when the others weren't with their boyfriends, but I was looking forward to getting home. I would miss Alfea's breathtaking beauty and the non-stop excitement, but there was a certain amount of stress and drama that came with going to an all girls magic college. I had certainly had my fill.

We were all walking back from our last Etiquette and Manners class of the year. We were just down the hall from our dorm when a window on our right side shattered. We ducked to avoid being hit by flying glass and a few other girls in the hall let out a yelp. We looked up and peered through the destroyed window.

"What the hell was that?" I exclaimed, checking the cut on the back of my hand. I looked around at the other girls "Is everyone OK?"

Miranda touched the top of her head and her fingers came away red. Her face read panic as she continued to probe the spot. "I'm bleeding!" We went to her and I tried to move her hair away so I could see the cut. Just then, we heard another explosion. But it was louder and not just one window. All the glass in this hallway was completely blown out and a strong, cold wind started to blow through the hall. I squinted through the broken glass and saw outside. Girls were running all around screaming. The sky was black and thick, cold rain drops were falling from the sky. The wind kicked up more and almost knocked us over.

"Come out, come out where ever you are!" A familiar voice boomed from outside. It echoed like thunder against the Alfea walls. "I know you're in there!"

"It's Bridgette!" Hunter hollered, barely heard over the roar of the wind.

"What do we do?" Tori asked frantically.

"What else do we do?" Kat asked. "We go out there." I looked at her to make sure. She seemed definite in her reply, so I nodded and we slowly made our way to one of the windows. I stood up and used the window frame for support as we looked out at the scene before us.

Bridgette was floating up in the sky, throwing bolts of lightening everywhere and laughing like a mad woman. Two other girls floated up there with her but I couldn't see who they were.

"Come on," Kat commanded and transformed. She looked at the rest of us. I transformed as well, without question.

"Wait a minute guys," Hunter rationalized. "We need to think about this for a minute. Let's go find Faragonda and-" Kat and I didn't hear what we should do next. We had taken off into the sky, towards Bridgette and the other girls. "Guys!" Hunter screamed after us over the sound of the wind. "Come back!"

"Should we follow them?" Tori asked.

"Of course we should follow them!" Miranda exclaimed, transforming as well. "Come on!" Then she was gone as well. Cassidy and Tori followed her up. Hunter stared in disbelief at the sky, then she transformed too.

"Unbelievable," she growled.

"Ah, there you are," Bridgette cooed when we all go to her level. I looked down for a moment. It was absolute chaos in the quad. I looked for Faragonda but couldn't spot her in the crowd. "I thought you girls would show up." Bridgette gestured to the other two girls. "Let me introduce you to my new friends." She gestured to the girl to her right. "This is Nova." The girl next to her had bright purple eyes and steel gray hair that fell straight and down to her knees. She was wearing a purple strapless dress and no shoes. "And this is Sirena." The other girl was a redhead like Kat, but her hair was more orange than Kat's. It was just as short but stick straight and standing up in all directions. Her eyes were simply brown, but they were alive. She wore blue jeans and a one shoulder black top. Again, she was barefoot.

Both these girls were Cloud Tower witches. There was something in the way they carried themselves, the way they smiled and they weird way their eyes glinted when they looked down upon the scene below. And Bridgette was one of them now. Which meant no matter what had happened in the past, she was our enemy now. I had no problem accepting this. I just had be sure to protect Kat, if she started second guessing herself.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"No need to be rude, Alice," Bridgette scolded. "I'm just here to say hello." She turned to face Cassidy. "I see they let you back in. Congrats on being part of the most fair weathered circle of friends ever."

"Why are you doing this?" Tori asked, gesturing to the tornados and rain all around.

Bridgette shrugged. "Shits and giggles. Boredom. Revenge. All of the above."

"You're not allowed to be here Bridgette," Hunter reasoned. "Go back to Cloud Tower."

"Shut up Hunter!" Birdgette screeched. He semi-friendly expression was gone and now she was livid. She clenched her fists and the storm kicked up again. "You guys turned your back on me as friends!" She floated back to her place higher in the sky. "Now you're going to have to fight me as enemies!" Nova and Sirena dispersed, flying off in opposite directions to cause more chaos. Kat rocketed off after Bridgette and I followed her. Nova was flying fast towards one of the towers. Miranda gestured to Tori and they followed her. That left Cassidy and Hunter to take on Sirena.


	17. Chapter 17

Miranda flew faster than Nova and ended up in front of her as she raced towards the fast west tower.

"Going somewhere?" Miranda asked and sent a blast of sonic energy at Nova, sending her spiraling backwards. Tori was waiting to attack and shot a stream of black energy at Nova, hitting her from the back. She cried out in pain and turned to glare at Tori. Now, in fighting and defense class, Tori did not get the highest marks. Hand to hand combat is not her thing. So when Nova came barreling towards her, charged for a counter attack, Tori paled, her eyes wide, and ducked out of the way. Miranda shot a stream of blue light at Nova and stopped her dead in her tracks. But Nova broke free of the spell after a moment and was madder than ever. She gathered a glowing light in her hands and send shards of sharp silver at Tori. She quickly put up a shield to deflect Nova's attack and flew over to Miranda who was charging up for another attack.

"What's the matter with you?" Nova taunted "Don't they teach you how to fight here at princess school?" She sent another metal attack Tori's way. Tori gave a little yelp and put up another shield. But Nova wasn't letting up this time. She kept feeding energy into the attack, slowly wearing down Tori's defense. But Miranda was faster than Nova could see and next thing she knew, Miranda was positioned behind the witch, sending a high speed ray at Nova's back. As soon as it hit, her attack on Tori stopped. She turned to Miranda, her eyes reading furry.

"You wanna play hard ball with me, fairy?" Nova screeched, gathering her strength for another big attack on Miranda. "Fine. Let's play!" She unleashed the fullest extent of her attack at Miranda, underestimating Miranda's speed. She was gone and back behind Nova so fast, even Tori didn't follow what had just happened.

This is how it continued. Nova attacked, Miranda dodged and Tori watched. Tori stood there out of the way, feeling helpless as she watched her friend single handedly battle a witch. She could see Nova tiring, but she could see Miranda getting slower too. She could only keep it up for so long, and when she wore out, Nova would destroy them both.

'I have to do something,' Tori thought, clenching her fists. 'I have to help her.' An idea popped into her head, but it made her shake to just consider it. Go right into there heat of the fight and attack from in front of Nova while Miranda attacked her from behind. What if she wasn't strong enough to do Nova any damage? What if she ended up getting attacked herself! Tori gulped and pursed her lips. It's not like there was much of a choice. She had to help her friend and if this was the only way to do it... Tori nodded and studied Miranda's next few moves. She disappeared and reappeared just a few feet behind Nova. Her travel distance was getting shorter because she was so wiped out. Nova looked like she was starting to figure out Miranda's game couldn't last forever. She almost dodged that last attack but Miranda was gone before she could launch an attack of her own. That's when Tori started to fly.

'I hope I timed this right,' she thought grimly. But sure enough, she arrived in front of Nova just as Miranda arrived behind her. They launched an attack together at the witch, and she crumpled under their combined strength, falling to the ground. Tori shot a stream of navy light and encased Nova in a heavy globe of darkness, letting her settle on the ground bellow. Then she flew to Miranda's side.

"Nice job there," she smiled.

"You too," Miranda panted. "And thank you. For stepping in when you did. I wasn't gonna make it for much longer."

Tori shrugged. "That's what I'm here for."


	18. Chapter 18

Hunter and Cassidy speed after Sirena as she circled the school, climbing higher and higher until all three of them were on top of the highest tower of Alfea. Hunter looked down at the scene below and gasped. Fairies were flying all around, trying to avoid being struck by the storm Bridgette had created. As well as things Hunter couldn't see; some of the fairies flew from invisible monsters and shot attacks at nothing. She shook her head and turned back to Sirena.

"Why are you doing this?" she called over the wind.

Sirena giggled and shrugged. "Why not?"

"Does Griffin know you're here?" Cassidy hollered.

"Doubt it," Sirena answered, circling the tower. "At least, she didn't. I'm sure she does now."

"Do you really think you're strong enough to defeat both her and Faragonda?" Hunter asked.

"We're not trying to defeat anyone," Sirena replied. "Just having a little fun with you brainless pixies!" With that, she shot a stream of white energy at Cassidy, but missed entirely. It went right past her and disappeared. Cassidy and Hunter looked at one another, questioningly. Sirena just laughed and crossed her arms. Cassidy started after her, but suddenly a creature appeared in front of her. It was a huge hulking thing that resembled a swamp troll. Green drool dripped from it's mouth and it let out a ferocious roar. Cassidy screamed and darted back. It reached out and grabbed her with it's clawed hand and held her close to it's mouth, growling.

"Hunter, help me!" Cassidy screamed.

"Wh-?" Hunter asked. "Cassidy, what's going on?"

"Don't you see it!" Cassidy screeched. "It's got me! Hunter, please!" Hunter looked hard at Cassidy, but could see nothing but the fairy standing there, her arms held tight at her sides. Then Hunter looked at Sirena and watched her grin at what she saw.

"You really haven't figured it out yet, have you?" she asked. "Come on Hunter, Bridgette told me you were the smart one." She raised an eyebrow and smiled. Hunter growled and shot a blast of blue energy at Sirena. It caught her off guard and the monster holding Cassidy loosened it's grip. Sirena's smile faded and she shot a blast of red energy at Hunter. Cassidy was helpless in the hands of the monster Sirena created. But every time Hunter hit Sirena, the monster loosened it's grip. Cassidy tried to wiggle her way free, but each time Sirena's power rejuvenated too fast for her to make any real progress. Finally, Cassidy stopped wasting her energy. She closed her eyes and focused on what the monster really was: Sirena's power. It was just like any other fairy or witch's power. It was beatable. While Hunter battled away with Sirena herself, Cassidy focused all her energy into beating the monster.

She let her poison seep through her pores and soak into the monster. It took a moment to take effect, but then the monster started to growl in pain.

"Come on," Cassidy muttered. "Come on! Let me go, you stupid thing!" It tightened it's grip, but that only made the poison burn more. Finally, it let out a roar and released Cassidy. She fell a few feet, but then her wings took control and carried her back into the sky. The monster clutched it's hand in pain, then took a swipe at Cassidy. She dodged it and smiled.

"Not so tough now, are you?" she yelled and shot a glob of acid at the creature. The acid hit on the creature's arm and burned it's fur and skin. It let out a roar that only Cassidy could hear and she continued to attack it. It lumbered after her, swiping it's massive claws and chomping it's teeth, trying to knock her from the sky. But she was so much smaller than it and she flew faster than it could attack. Meanwhile, only a few feet away, Hunter battled with Sirena. Their energies conflicted and crashed into one another, creating bursts of light and sound. But with every hit Cassidy landed on the monster, Sirena's power weakened. And with every hit Hunter landed on Sirena, the monster started to fade.

Cassidy gathered all her energy into one final attack and hurled her purple energy at the monster. It exploded in a blast of white light and was gone. As were all the other monsters down in the quad that other fairies were fighting tirelessly against.

"No!" Sirena screamed. She glared at Cassidy. "What have you done!"

"What did you do?" Hunter asked curiously.

"Beat her monsters," Cassidy answered simply. "The monsters she makes you see. Now that they're gone, we can beat her." Cassidy and Hunter held hands and converged their energy into one attack that was aimed right for Sirena. She screamed as it hit and fell from the sky, landing on top of the tower with a thud.


	19. Chapter 19

Bridgette flew out behind the midpoint of the castle and launched a wave of wind at us, hurling us at the building. I took control of the air just before we slammed into the castle wall. Then I redirected it to Bridgette. Kat threw a lightening bolt into my wind and their strengths combined, sending Bridgette somersaulting through the sky. She growled and gathered her hands over her head, conjuring a ball of ice the size of a basketball. It came at us so fast, I had no time to dodge it. It hit me straight in the stomach, knocking the wind right out of me, leaving me gasping for breath.

"Alice!" Kat exclaimed, turning to me.

"Oh no you don't!" Bridgette screamed, whipping Kat back to face her. She used Kat's own power against her, throwing a handful of lightening straight at Kat. The shock was too much and she was unable to absorb it; she was send flying to the ground and landed with a thud against the castle wall.

"That's it?" Bridgette asked. "That's all you've got? Stand up and fight me!"

"Careful what you wish for Bridgette," I growled from behind her and launched a at her. She jumped out of the way, but I sent another and another, buying Kat time to get back up. Bridgette started to tire from dodging and got sloppy. My last ball hit her arm, scorching her skin and making her scream out in agony. She hovered in the air, not making any attempt to shelter herself. I moved in a little closer to her, when Kat screamed out.

"Alice, behind you!" I turned just in time to see Amy sneaking up behind me and punch me right in the face. I saw stars and my left eye immediately started to swell. I staggered back and struggled to stay in the air. Amy laughed like crazy and circled me. Kat started my way, but Bridgette flew in front of her her.

"Oh no, this is just you and me, Kat," she growled. "Let's let Amy and Alice figure things out on there own, shall we?"

I sucked in a breath and took my hand away from my eye, furious. "So, you've turned to the dark side, huh?" I asked, trying to buy myself some time while I regained my strength. "I'm not surprised."

"Oh no, I'm 100% fairy," Amy replied. "I just know how to have fun. Plus, I'm sick of you eyeing my boyfriend." She chuckled and nodded at my eye, starting to bruise. "How's that eye feeling?"

"I don't know," I answered. "You tell me." I charged at her and threw a punch at her eye. She swore and clutched her eye, growling and muttering obscenities under her breath. I took this opportunity to send a blast of icy water her way, dousing her and pushing her back a few feet. She looked like a drowned rat. Then I sent a gust of cold wind at her, making her hair and clothes freeze to her body. Her body shook and she started to break free from the prison I held her in. As soon as she burst out of her frozen prison, I sent a fireball at her. Much to my surprise, she caught it. I realized just now that I had no idea what Amy's power even was. But watching the way she expertly handled my fire made her power obvious.

She smirked at me and I watched the fireball grow bigger. "Scared yet?"

As she sent the fireball that had doubled in sized at me, I had just enough time to sent a jet of water her way and extinguish it. A cloud of steam billowed and our vision was was blurred. I waved it away and sent a gust of wind Amy's way. Well, that was one element I could no longer use. The steam cleared and I found Amy smirking at me, tossing a ball if fire in her hand. Her playful expression disappeared and one of vengeance took it's place. She hurled the fire at me and I redirected it back at her. I shot it about three inches too far to the left. Amy watched it go by and chuckled at me.

"Really?" she laughed. "That's all you've got!" Then the fire ball looped around and hit Amy in the back of the head. She screamed and fell a few inches, holding onto the back of her head. That would definitely take more than a moment to recover from. I took this opportunity to fly down into the quad in the heat of the battle. I noticed some of the heroes from Red Fountain had arrived and were helping the fairies battle the storms that were somehow still thriving. I saw Miranda off in the distance with Josh. And out of the corner of my eye I saw Cassidy's royal blue fairy form with Tori and Hunter. My feet touched the ground and I looked around for Faragonda. She was here somewhere, she had to be. There's no where else she could be during a battle like this. I took a step backward and bumped into someone. I drew a chunk of stone from the earth under me and prepared to hurl it at Amy.

"Wow there!" Caleb yelled, holding his hands up. "Chill!" I lowered the rock and looked at him. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He stared at me hard. "Are you OK?"

"Oh yeah, just peachy," I growled. "Just got through burning the hair off your insane girlfriend, and she tried to burn my face off." I brushed ash off my shorts and shook it out of my hair. "Everything's great."

"Wait, Amy's up there?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, she is. And if you would like to go up there and tell her to stop acting like a psycho bitch, be my guest!" My face was probably beet red, both from the fight and from talking to this boy that made my stomach do flips. He said nothing, just looked at me, then I took off into the sky.

Amy was crouching on the roof of the castle, holding her head and sobbing.

"Amy, let's end this," I hollered over the wind. I approached her, but not with my hands raised to attack. She's a master of deception, but the tear tracks on her cheeks weren't fake and neither was the pain. "I can heal you."

"Stay the hell away from me!" she screeched. "I don't need your help!" I slowly floated over to her and she didn't flinch when I touched her cheek. All the pain was in her head and she clearly wasn't thinking straight. I closed my eyes and conjured a water spell. I sent the healing liquid into her body and the pain relief was so intense, Amy fainted. I gulped, looking around, unsure of what to do next. I made an air bubble around her and flew with her back to the quad.


	20. Chapter 20

"Why are you doing this, Bridgette?" Kat hollered over the sound of the wind.

"Because this is what witches do, isn't it?" Bridgette replied with a smile. "Have some harmless fun at the expense of those pesky pixies that seem to hate us so much." Her smile started to fade. "It's kinda funny, isn't it? Before you found out I was a witch we were friends. Best friends even." She paused. "What would have happened if you never found out? Would we still be friends?" She stared curiously at Kat for the answer.

"It doesn't have to be like this Bridgette!" Kat said, her voice breaking a little. "You made this fight, not me."

"Answer the question Kat!" Bridgette snapped. "Would we still be friends?"

"Of course, Bri," Kat answered sadly. "Like I said, I'm not the one who came here and started fighting."

"I'm not fighting you, Kat," Bridgette insisted, throwing her hands up. "I'm fighting the rest of these useless fairies!" As if to prove a point she shot a bolt of lightening at the castle. It hit the pink walls and shattered a chunk of the castle. Listening to the girls below scream and run in fear made Bridgette double over in laughter.

"Stop it Bridgette!" Kat demanded.

Bridgette's laughed stopped and she glared at Kat. "Why should I? I don't give two shits about anyone down there and I could care even less if this whole stupid school gets blows all the way back to Earth!" She hurled another electric attack at the school, but Kat moved in front of it and absorbed the power. Her curly hair stood on end and she shook her head, newly energized. She sent her own lightening fast attacks at Bridgette, advancing on her fast. Each attack was more ferocious than the last and Bridgette was having a hard time keeping up. She quickly wiped up a twister and let it throw her out of the way of Kat's attacks. She ended up behind Kat and landed a kick to her back, sending Kat flying into the tornado. The red head was totally immobilized by the power of the wind, her body refusing to respond to her attempts at freeing herself.

"Just say the word, Kat!" Bridgette hollered from outside the wind storm. "And I can end this for all of you. Say I was right. Say you're sorry!" She leaned in and waited. Then she huffed and stopped the wind, letting Kat's body fall a ways before her wings caught her. Her eyes were unfocused as she tried to find which of the three Bridgette's was the right one. "Feeling a little shaken up?" Bridgette taunted. "Ready to give up yet?"

"What are you hoping to gain out of this, Bridgette?" Kat asked dizzily.

"You mean you haven't guessed yet?" Bridgette said. "I want you, Kat! With our combined power we would be the most powerful team in all of Magix!She grinned happily and watched Kat. "Don't tell me all this power doesn't interest you."

"Dark magic has nothing to offer for me," Kat answered simply. "I thought you knew me better than that."

"I do know you, Kat. I know you like Michael," Bridgette cooed, flying in close to Kat. They were nose to nose and Bridgette grinned evilly at Kat. "If you think he won't fall in love with you after you get all this power you're demented." She started to fly around Kat, maintaining the close proximity. "I know how much you liked him. I wasn't trying to hurt you that night, you know that right? I was only looking out for you. That's what friends do, isn't it?" She was back in front of Kat, staring at her hard. "I know you want to. I can feel it in you, the anger and thirst for revenge. So do it. Come back with me to Cloud Tower. They'll welcome you with open arms. A power like your's shouldn't go unused." She flew a few inches back and held out her hand. "Come with me Kat."

Kat's emotions were whirling. At the mention of Michael's name, her stomach did flips and she felt her cheeks heat up. Then at the thought of Bridgette and Michael kissing she wanted to launch all her power into an attack on her so called best friend. She longed for her old friendship with Bridgette, but this wasn't the way to do it. And the old Bridgette was gone. She had been replaced by something awful and corrupt. Something evil. Dark, black energy surrounded her where her once golden aura used to be. And with all these thoughts in mind, Kat made her decision. She channeled all her emotion, all her energy and power into one attack. It hit Bridgette in the chest, electrocuting her with such a force there was no way she could absorb it all in time. She screamed and fell unconscious. Her wings stopped holding her and her Winx form vanished, leaving behind black jeans and vest and a red tank top. Kat cast a containment spell and caught her before she hit the ground. All around, the tornados and wind and rain all stopped.


End file.
